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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24657127">An Elegant Weapon</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/RomanMoray/pseuds/RomanMoray'>RomanMoray</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Attempt at Humor, First Kiss, Force-Sensitive CC-2224 | Cody, Getting Together, Implied Sexual Content, Lightsabers, M/M, Pining, Poor descriptions of the Force, Qui-Gon Jinn invades people's dreams, The Force, This was going to be short and now it's not going to be short, god so much pining, i am as always just making shit up y'all, lightsaber forms, no beta to be found here, playing fast and loose with canon, this was really just an excuse to use lightsaber forms for SOMETHING</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 10:08:01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>22,315</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24657127</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/RomanMoray/pseuds/RomanMoray</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A close call on Teth inspires High Jedi General Obi-Wan Kenobi to teach Marshal Commander Cody how to use a lightsaber. There are a lot of unforeseen consequences, but the Force always has a plan...</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>CC-2224 | Cody/Obi-Wan Kenobi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>187</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>1368</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>LoveForClones, Star Wars fics to Bingeread, Suggested Good Reads, hope is like the sun</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Shii-Cho</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hello! Welcome to the fic. </p><p>Read the tags for more specific information regarding plot elements (or at least, the ones that exist so far). I am fudging canon a little bit in places, but this is fic world so I'm sure everyone is used to that. In any case, the timeline is mostly the same—this fic spans a big portion of the Clone Wars, from the Battle of Teth all the way to Order 66, though I'm skipping through time a lot. I'll also be using some Mando'a, hopefully I don't mess that up too badly.</p><p>I'm certain I will remember more things to inform everyone about but for now, chapter one! Enjoy!</p><p>Roman</p>
    </blockquote><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which Cody has an altercation with a Sith assassin and Obi-Wan peruses Jedi manuscripts.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="zw-paragraph">Marshal Commander Cody had been in the field for a long time before he encountered a<em> dar'jetii </em>from anything other than a great distance away. He remembered this because it was one of the few times when he'd felt the unpleasant tang of fear on the battlefield, though no one watching him would have known this. The constant exposure to war that he and his<em> vode</em> dealt with dulled their fear in most circumstances. They had been made to die in this war, and from Cody's point of view, the most they could do was be strong in the face of their inevitable demise, and try to stay alive as long as possible. He knew many of his brothers felt the same. Fortunately for Cody, he had gotten very good at staying alive. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">There was something eerie about the sinister counterparts to their <em>jetii</em> superiors that Cody couldn't ignore. He chalked it up to instinct, though his instincts didn't usually make his blood run cold.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">Cody and the 212th are on Teth, providing much needed support to General Skywalker and his new Padawan. When Rex had notified him of the young one's arrival, Cody had thought that perhaps having a little <em>jetii</em> around would reign in Anakin's recklessness, but apparently not. If his own general's attitude was any indication, he'd been hoping the same. They, along with the Torrent Company, had been cornered trying to escape the enormous clifftop B'omarr Order Monastery by Asajj Ventress and the droid battalions she commanded.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">They drop in amid blaster fire at the front of the monastery where General Skywalker is holding out, and it isn't long before Ventress herself is drawn into the battle. Cody somehow finds himself isolated, the <em>dar'jetii</em> bearing down on him. He dodges the blows of her dual lightsabers as well as he can, but he knows even his incredibly advanced training isn't going to be a match for someone like Ventress. She radiates power, as all the <em>jetii</em> seem to, but it isn't the soothing, warm strength that Cody associates with General Kenobi, or even the volatile fire that emanates from General Skywalker in combat. It's a wrongness, a sickly impression—Cody has been around <em>jetiise</em> for long enough at this point that he knows what he's feeling is the dark side of the Force, and that if he were a Jedi the feeling would be amplified a hundredfold. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">He dodges too slow, and Ventress' left blade nicks his arm as though he isn't wearing any armor at all. She's about to land her final blow when his general appears out of nowhere, parrying Ventress' lightsabers gracefully away from Cody.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Careful there, Commander! I'll deal with our lovely friend here." General Kenobi's refined Coruscanti accent calls back to him playfully. Ventress smirks and falls back into the monastery. The general gives chase—the two duel in the darkness, their sabers flashing and clashing, an elegant and deadly dance that neither combatant ultimately wins.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"How's your arm?" General Kenobi asks him later as they're lifted off the planet's surface to return to the <em>Negotiator</em>. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"It's alright, sir—just a scratch. I mostly got out of the way." The general nods, stroking his beard thoughtfully, brow furrowed, a distant look in his sharp eyes. Cody would know his scheming face anywhere, but he isn't sure if he's supposed to ask what the other man is thinking. Sometimes it's best not to know with <em>jetii</em>. He's spared the decision by their shuttle landing in the main hanger of the <em>Negotiator</em> and the subsequent rush of unloading. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">-----</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">After several lengthy days of Hutt-related chaos, followed by debriefings and strategy meetings, High Jedi General Obi-Wan Kenobi settles down in his quarters with a disorganized stack of scrolls. He knows most of this information by heart, as all Jedi do—however, he wants to make sure no one is likely to get in trouble if he acts on his plan he's been mulling over. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">For the past several months of the war, Obi-Wan has been considering the merits of giving Commander Cody some basic lightsaber training. The man is incredibly competent, and has more training than most other clones, not to mention a higher rank. He spends most of his time at Obi-Wan's side, and he has to deal with the dark side of the Force often enough that the commander only having rudimentary knowledge of such things just seems irresponsible. Their encounter with Asajj Ventress had been a close call, and Obi-Wan had no interest in losing Commander Cody, who he'd grown to trust implicitly and consider a friend. The chances of Obi-Wan finding another second-in-command that works with him as well as Cody does would be slim to none. And besides, the commander was an excellent shot and quite handy with a vibro-knife—despite the complexities and danger involved with using a lightsaber, someone like that wouldn't have too much trouble with some basic techniques that might allow him to hold out for a little while longer against someone like Ventress. It just <em>makes sense</em>, though admittedly Obi-Wan can't think of any well-known, living saber wielders other than General Grievous and Pre Vizsla who aren't also Force-sensitive. Hence Obi-Wan's intense perusal of the Jedi rules and regulations at his disposal.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">After several hours of research, Obi-Wan concludes that though it doesn't happen very often, there's no <em>specific</em> rule that says he isn't allowed to train his commander, despite him being neither Force-sensitive nor an initiate of the Jedi Order.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">Now all Obi-Wan has to do is figure out how he wants to go about it. He'll need a training saber and some time to adapt some training strategies to work for his purposes. It's been a while since he trained Anakin, and many years since he explained the basics of lightsaber combat to anyone. Hopefully, with some preparation, he'll be up to the task.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">With the <em>Negotiator</em> safely in hyperspace, Obi-Wan spends the next day leafing through the texts and datapads he has, noting concepts, drills, and exercises that might be useful. Most of them are highly advanced Soresu guides and theory, as that's his favored form, but there's a fair bit of the other six forms as well. Despite having most of this stuff in his head, Obi-Wan has always been consoled by rereading and analyzing Jedi manuscripts—one can never have too much practice, and quite often Jedi writings are more than they appear at first glance. He should remember to look through whatever Anakin might have aboard the <em>Resolute</em> as well, though his former Padawan is hardly the type to stay up late into the night reading theory like his former Master is. Perhaps Ahsoka will turn out to be more bookish than Anakin was—Then Obi-Wan would have someone to discuss such things with. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">When he's satisfied that he has enough to work with, Obi-Wan goes in search of something suitable to use as a training saber. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">-----</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">The next morning, Obi-Wan wakes up early and prepares tea in his kitchenette before making his way to his office. He shoots Cody a message—hopefully the commander isn't too busy today, he knows there are many constraints on both their schedules, and he doesn't want extra training to be a burden. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">He virtually sits in on a particularly dull High Council meeting—recently, it's seemed that neither the CIS nor the Republic has gained or lost any ground, despite near-constant conflict, and there are only so many ways Obi-Wan can hear that said before he starts feeling morose. It is reprehensible, he thinks, that peacekeepers can become so desensitized to the violence of war. Even he finds himself having a hard time processing loss of life on such a massive scale, and the way the council talks about it doesn't help. Many of his fellow Jedi Masters are guilty of being unaffected by the deaths of clone troopers, which frankly astonishes Obi-Wan. </p><p class="zw-paragraph"><em>Do they not feel their passing through the Force? Are they really so ignorant that they cannot see beyond the duplicated face of Jango Fett to the thousands of individuals who die on their orders every day?</em> Obi-Wan thinks his own Master would have been...disappointed, to say the least. Qui-Gon had been wise and an exemplary duelist, but he can't imagine his Master as a general, commanding a battalion of clones. Though admittedly, Obi-Wan would have said the same of himself years ago, and yet here they were. </p><p>When the meeting concludes, he takes one look at the stack of paperwork he has to do and leaves his office to head to the training room where he's meeting Cody. He suspects it will be some time before the commander joins him, but he desperately needs to meditate. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Mando'a:</p><p>Jetii/jetiise - Jedi/plural form Jedi<br/>Dar'jetii - literally, "no longer Jedi"; Sith<br/>Vod/vode - brother/brothers</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Makashi</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which Cody is introduced to the Vast and Complex World of Laser Swords, and everyone thinks Obi-Wan is hot (and they're right).</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="zw-paragraph">Cody is sitting in the mess hall with the rest of Ghost Company the second morning after the <em>Negotiator</em> enters hyperspace, where it will remain for a few more days, when he receives an unusually cryptic message from General Kenobi on his datapad.</p><p class="zw-paragraph"><em>When you're finished with your duties, come to Training Room 10. Don't wear armor.</em> </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"What'd ya do this time, Commander? Sounds like you're gonna get beaten up by the general." Waxer is peering curiously at Cody's datapad from the seat next to his.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Don't read over my shoulder. And I'm sure that's not what it is." He angles the glowing screen of the datapad away and his <em>vod</em> holds his hands up in surrender, smirking. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"I wish the general would beat me up," Wooley says to no one in particular from across the table, eliciting hoots of laughter from the troopers nearby. Cody didn't approve of the many crushes harbored by the <em>vode</em> on their general, but he figured it was harmless as long as it didn't interfere with operations. It was bound to happen on a shipload of people with the exact same face and exactly one <em>jetii</em>—especially when that <em>jetii </em>was General Kenobi, who was all of the things clones had been brought up to admire. An amazing strategist and diplomat, a talented warrior, loyal, and selfless to a fault—not to mention just, you know,<em> objectively</em>, a handsome man. He'd discussed the matter thoroughly with Rex, who faces a similar issue aboard the <em>Resolute</em>, though his closest friend and brother was far more entertained by the phenomenon than Cody was.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"<em>K'uur, vod</em>," Cody admonishes. Just because he understands, doesn't mean he has to encourage it. "Speak respectfully of our general."</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Oh, nothing but respect here, <em>al'verde</em>." More giggles. Oh well. He tried. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">The commander's mind wanders as he attends to his duties on the bridge. He doesn't see General Kenobi, but that isn't unusual. The general trusts Cody to take care of many day-to-day operations, allowing him some freedom to attend to...whatever it is that a Jedi Master does when they aren't commanding an army. Cody is happy to have proved himself capable—he knows his general has a tendency to overwork himself, and he's happy to lighten the load as much as General Kenobi lets him. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">He can't imagine what the general could want from him in the training rooms, especially without his armor. It was rare that Cody wore anything else—even if he was going to work out. He remembers his brothers' teasing, and the commander refocuses on his tasks. No good can come from that particular train of thought. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">Cody weaves through the long halls of the Star Destroyer to the training rooms just before the 1300 hour mark, wearing black trousers and a black tunic, the only non-uniform clothes in his possession. He gets a few funny looks along the way. Since he's a Marshal Commander, he has quarters to himself, so many of the shinier <em>vode</em> have never seen their strict, by-the-books superior officer out of his armor. Training Room 10 is oddly tucked away, at the far end of a row of doors to other training facilities. As he approaches, the doors slide open. It's an open, square room with a slightly spongy floor, presumably for more aggressive sparring. There's a little viewport on the far wall—one of the few in this area of the ship, Cody guesses—through which he can see the blue-white streaks of stars and swirling space stuff stretched across the sky. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">General Kenobi is sitting cross-legged in the middle of the room, meditating. He's not wearing his armor either, and his beige layered <em>jetii</em> robes spread out around him, the picture of peace. As Cody enters, the general stands and smiles warmly at him. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Thank you for coming, Cody. I was wondering if you would be amenable to a little training exercise." </p><p class="zw-paragraph"><em>That doesn't explain much</em>, Cody thinks.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Of course, sir." General Kenobi doesn't elaborate, but walks to the wall, where there are two long wooden sticks propped up. He picks one up and passes it to Cody, who is beginning to see where this is going. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Uh...sir?" </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"I'm going to teach you how to use a lightsaber. We have faced those who have fallen to the dark side before, and as my second in command, you likely will again. If there's any chance that this knowledge will decrease the chance of your death at the hands of Ventress, or General Grievous...it is the most reasonable course of action."</p><p class="zw-paragraph"><em>Is he even allowed to do that?</em> Cody wonders, but he immediately figures that no one exactly "allows" the general to do anything. He's still a bit confused, though.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"But I'm not..." Cody trails off, waving his hand vaguely in General Kenobi's direction. Cody knows a ridiculous amount about many kinds of combat, but he's never used a <em>jetii'kad</em> before. The only times he's ever even touched one was to hand the general's back to him—which, admittedly, did happen rather a lot. General Kenobi's lightsaber seemed almost sacred. Cody couldn't imagine wielding it, or any other saber. He didn't feel...<em>worthy</em> of it, somehow, which Cody knew was a bit ridiculous. It was just a weapon, like any other, as much as watching his general fight made it seem like magic. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"You don't have to be Force-sensitive." He says, which answers a little of Cody's unspoken question. "Grievous isn't. I mean, it certainly helps, and your training will be adapted to suit your abilities, but it isn't fundamentally necessary to have the Force guiding you." Cody looks at the stick in his hands. At least the general hadn't given him a<em> real</em> lightsaber. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"You don't have to. If you—"</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"No, I do," Cody surprises himself with his own assertiveness. "I want to learn." His general's smile widens, and his blue eyes twinkle. He seems genuinely pleased that Cody accepted his offer, which makes Cody feel unaccountably warm. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Good. I was hoping you'd say that."</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">-----</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">Obi-Wan is more excited than he feels like he should be. He<em> likes</em> teaching—perhaps not always the best at it, as Anakin would undoubtedly claim, but he does legitimately enjoy the process itself. He'd have happily taken on Ahsoka as his own Padawan if the Force didn't have other plans for her and Anakin.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">He guides Cody into the center of the room. His commander was more surprised by Obi-Wan's proposal than he thought he would be, but Obi-Wan figures it must be strange to be told for your whole life that a lightsaber is a Jedi's weapon, and then be told abruptly that you're going to learn how to use one. He's glad Cody is on board, though.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"The lightsaber is an ancient and most versatile weapon. For a Jedi, it is an extension of their very being. However, any user can appreciate the lightness and the power behind such an instrument. With sufficient momentum, a lightsaber can pierce or slash through most known materials, and its lightness allows for quick movements and agility, facilitating the acrobatics many Jedi favor. It is quite difficult to counter a lightsaber with any other kind of weapon, if the user is sufficiently skilled—you know all of this, of course." Cody nods, completely attentive. Obi-Wan continues.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"The Jedi order recognizes seven forms of lightsaber combat, which have been developed over centuries and encompass many techniques. Each form serves a different purpose, each has its own strengths and weaknesses. A true Jedi Master is competent in all forms, though many choose to focus on one and develop their own style. Most Jedi begin with Form I, Shii-Cho, which they are taught as younglings at the Jedi Temple. It is the oldest and most crude of the forms, covering the basics of parrying and attacking, as well as blaster deflection. This is where we, too, will begin—follow my movements." </p><p class="zw-paragraph">Obi-Wan falls into a defensive ready stance, his makeshift lightsaber held upwards from hip height, and Cody mimics it easily. Then, he walks Cody slowly through some basic moves, attack, parry, attack, parry...this continues for several minutes, with Obi-Wan occasionally pausing to adjust Cody's form with gentle nudges. As he'd expected, his commander adapts quickly, and before long his movements become almost fluid. Satisfied, Obi-Wan steps back. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Normally, the next step would be to blindfold you and have you deflect blaster bolts from a droid," Cody looks a little perturbed, and a breath of laughter escapes Obi-Wan. "But I think perhaps we'd best move on to velocities. Perhaps another day we'll experiment with some non-blindfolded deflecting."</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"That's very merciful of you, sir," Cody says with a small smile, and Obi-Wan chuckles. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Velocities are drills used to build fluidity and reflexes through repetition. Use the sequence of strikes and parries I just showed you against me." Obi-Wan moves into the ready position in front of Cody, who hesitates. Obi-Wan immediately senses what the issue is. "It's just a stick, Cody—even if you <em>did</em> manage to hit me, the worst that could happen would be that I'd have a bruise for a few days."</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"I know, sir—it just feels...wrong."</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Well, I suppose I'd be concerned if it didn't. However, in this situation, please attempt to hit me." His joking seems to put the commander at ease, and he begins the sequence with a horizontal sweep, just as Obi-Wan showed him. They start out slow, Obi-Wan parrying and striking without thought. Cody's movements are firm and precise, indicative of a strong warrior. Obi-Wan thinks that Shien and Djem So will agree with him—the fifth form tends to emphasize physical strength, in some ways the more aggressive counterpart to Obi-Wan's quite defensive Soresu. He'll have to wait and see. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">Their speed gradually increases, and Obi-Wan credits the incredible stamina of the clones with the fact that Cody's strikes only become more decisive and powerful with each repetition. Eventually, however, the speed gets away with him and Obi-Wan's training saber goes right under his guard and Obi-Wan slows down, perfectly controlled, and taps the commander lightly against his rib cage. He's impressed, really—Obi-Wan knew Cody was capable, but many capable individuals struggle with even the most basic aspects of saber combat. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"<em>Haar'chak</em>," Cody swears in <em>Mando'a</em> under his breath, then looks abashed. "Sorry."</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"No, that was excellent." </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Swearing?"</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Your form."</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Oh!" Cody looks even more embarrassed now, but quickly schools his face back to its usual stoicism. "Can I try again, sir?" Obi-Wan nods, happy to continue. It's been a while since he could do something relaxing like this, simple though it may be. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">They go for a few more rounds, each time starting slowly and steadily increasing their speed until Obi-Wan eventually lands a blow. Cody lasts a little longer each time, quickly adapting and learning from his mistakes. By the time they've gone through a half-dozen cycles, the commander does start to look slightly fatigued, and Obi-Wan decides to call it a day. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"You did very well. If you'd like, we can continue tomorrow, or we can reconvene here the day after?" Obi-Wan doesn't want to push Cody too hard, but this is much preferable to his usual daily activities, especially in the dull tunnel of hyperspace.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Tomorrow is good, sir." Cody smiles and Obi-Wan bows to him slightly. The commander returns the gesture, and with that the two part ways.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">-----</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"So, did you get beaten up?" Cody sighs. He'd hoped his <em>vode</em> would have forgotten about their conversation this morning, but Waxer intercepts him as soon as he turns down the hall towards the officers' quarters late that evening. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Nah. Just some training exercises." General Kenobi hadn't said not to mention the lessons he'd be giving Cody, but for some reason it seemed like something he shouldn't be spreading around. Surely the general picked a secluded training room for a reason.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Training exercises? We've had our <em>shebse</em> trained off already, if you ask me. You especially!" </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Can't argue with that," Cody agrees. He bids Waxer farewell at the door to his quarters. He's exhausted—it's been a strange day, and the extra exercise was different from the kind he was used to. As he gets ready for bed, Cody considers all the things General Kenobi had said earlier. It had been riveting to hear him speak of lightsaber combat in such a reverent manner—it was reminiscent of the way <em>Mando'ade</em> speak of their own weaponry and martial arts, as much spiritual as they are necessary. And, of course, it had been fun, if humbling, to practice with his general. Strange at first—Cody had to push down every instinct that told him he should never attempt to strike a <em>jetii</em>, even when ordered to. He dozes off, his mind replaying the sequence of Shii-Cho strikes and parries he'd repeated so many times that day.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  <em>He's standing in a huge atrium, with ceilings that stretch up to the sky endlessly. This place radiates an omnipotent awareness, one that makes Cody feel both watched and, somehow, safe. There's something he has to find. He walks towards a pair of stone doors, which slide away as he approaches, revealing a dimly lit side room. What he needs is here, he's sure of it. He steps closer to see what's inside... </em>
</p><p class="zw-paragraph"> </p><p class="zw-paragraph">-----</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">Cody has to keep himself in check through the first half of the next day. Normally, he doesn't have much to look forward to after his duties and meetings are done, other than more duties and more meetings. He has to stop himself from rushing through all his paperwork in order to get to the 'training with General Kenobi' part of his day faster. Instead, he finds himself working at maximum diligence and efficiency, not even pausing to add snarky comments to his memos to Rex and the 501st. The commander is finished and on the way to the training room a whole hour earlier than he was the previous day. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">General Kenobi isn't there yet, but their training sabers are propped up in a corner, so Cody picks one up and begins practicing the same drill from yesterday. After a few reps, he changes up the order, responding directly to an imaginary opponent in front of him. He begins interspersing the saber movements with the hand-to-hand combat he's been trained in since birth, trying to sync up the two methods, much in the same way he'd fight with a vibro-knife. He swings the saber in a horizontal slash, then follows though with a roundhouse; he blocks, and simultaneously throws a push kick to send his imaginary foe backwards. He has to agree with his general—lightsaber combat is quite compelling, even with the stand-in of the wooden pole. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Very impressive." Cody almost drops the training saber, then missteps slightly and tries to pass it off as falling into his military attention stance. Clearly he fails, because a soft laugh comes from the door, where General Kenobi has been standing for Force knows how long. He wishes he had his <em>buy'ce</em> to hide behind.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"My apologies, I didn't mean to startle you." The laughter in his bright blue-gray eyes, so different from his and his <em>vode</em>, makes the mild embarrassment worth it. It isn't often he gets to see any genuine amusement on his general's face, and the effect is mesmerizing. Cody shakes himself mentally. <em>Inappropriate, inappropriate...</em></p><p class="zw-paragraph">"No worries, sir." General Kenobi strides into the room, his footsteps light on the soft floor, and goes to retrieve his own training saber. Cody doesn't feel too bad about having been suck up on by a <em>jetii</em>—stealthy bastards. </p><p>"Shall we continue?"</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Mando'a:</p><p>K'uur - Hush!<br/>Al'verde - commander<br/>Jetii'kad - lightsaber<br/>Haar'chak - Damn it!<br/>Shebse - butts, plural of shebs<br/>Mando'ade - Mandalorians</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Soresu</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which Obi-Wan has feelings about gutkurrs and (unfortunately) does not blindfold Cody.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="zw-paragraph">Weeks go by, and between their many assignments and engagements with the enemy, Cody's saber training continues. Cody isn't sure, but he thinks he's getting better—it's difficult work, more technical and acrobatic than he's used to. General Kenobi is a patient and informative teacher, and he has a sense that the general looks forward to their training sessions as well. At least, it's the most relaxed he ever seems around Cody, but considering there's a death toll for most of their activities together, the bar must be quite low. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">Once General Kenobi is satisfied with his understanding of the first form, he moves on to the second form, Makashi. Since this form is more focused on dueling and efficiency, they spend more time sparring lightly. He knows his general is pulling his punches quite a bit, as well as limiting his expansive repertoire of techniques to what they're working on. Every once in a while, however, Cody will get close to landing a blow, and the Force-assisted <em>jetii</em> reflexes will flair up, and Cody is acutely aware of how much power is stored in the lithe body of his general. It becomes a game, a motivator, trying to coax the other man into showing off. He's never going to <em>win</em> one of their little practice rounds, so he might as well try to get his general to work for his inevitable victory. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">During their ninth lesson, Cody is nearly proven wrong, though not necessarily through any mastery of his saber lessons. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">They're trading quick strikes and blocks back and forth, almost taking turns, when a particularly well-timed riposte from the general slips through his guard and causes Cody to react instinctively, his hand dropping the training saber to grab his opponent's wrist, pushing back on the top half of his body while his foot hooks the general's leg forward, causing them both to topple to the ground. Cody just barely has a moment to register the fact that he has a Jedi Master, <em>his own kriffing High General</em>, pinned underneath him, before their positions are reversed. It happens so fast that Cody's winded and couldn't for the life of him explain how it had occurred. General Kenobi takes a moment to smirk down at him, his coppery hair falling forward slightly, before releasing Cody and holding out a hand to help him to his feet, which Cody takes, feeling strangely dazed. His shoulder and arm are tingling and warm where he'd held Cody down, and he has to fight the urge to reach up to touch the spot. It's the closest he's ever been to General Kenobi while not actively in a life-or-death situation, and as such he...<em>appreciates</em> the contact more than he should.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Not a bad tactic, though most Force-users would be able to counter it easily." The general seems unaffected, though his mouth is still quirked in a playful little grin, and a lock of his hair is slightly out of place.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Yeah. Sorry, sir. Just...went on autopilot."</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"I understand." Maybe if he'd stop looking <em>like that</em>, Cody would be able to form coherent thoughts. The rest of the session passes as usual, though Cody remains both physically and mentally off-balance, distracted by the memory of General Kenobi's weight holding him to the ground.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">-----</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"...listening, <em>ner'vod</em>? Codes? <em>Su'cuy, vod</em>!" Cody startles out of his trance and looks up at the ghostly blue hologram of Rex he's supposed to be discussing strategy with. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Sorry. Repeat that last part?"</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"You good?" Rex's brow is furrowed in concern. Cody knows it's unlike him to zone out, and he feels guilty—and a little hypocritical as well. For all his irritation with his officers' improper affection for General Kenobi, all it had taken was less than a minute of contact and Cody was practically useless for the rest of the day. It wasn't as though he hadn't been attracted to the general before—he's hard to ignore in that respect—but he'd never allowed it to affect him like this until now.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">In any case, they'll be arriving with the rest of the invasion fleet at Ryloth soon, and the commander needs to have his wits about him by then at the latest.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Yeah, I'm fine. <em>Shi haryc</em>." He<em> is</em> tired, but mostly he just doesn't want to delve into his personal problems on the bridge of the <em>Negotiator</em> right before an operation of vital importance to the Republic. Luckily, Rex doesn't pry, but he still looks concerned. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">The invasion of Separatist-occupied Ryloth goes about as smoothly as any of the Ghost Company's campaigns. Would have been smoother than most, if not for the ravenous gutkurrs that attack them in the village. Cody watches in equal parts awe and horror as General Kenobi, unarmed (the lightsaber of his <em>dini'la jetii</em> is clipped to his own belt), lures the gutkurrs towards him using the Force, looking unnervingly tranquil. Not even savage beasts are immune to General Kenobi's charms, it would seem. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Incredible," a star-struck trooper comments from behind Cody. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Quiet, rookie," Cody snaps, though secretly he thinks that "incredible" just about sums it up.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">As they're getting ready to leave after their victory, Cody notices that the general looks a little forlorn. It's a mark of how much time they spend in each other's company that Cody doesn't even have to remove his bucket to send him a questioning look. General Kenobi sighs.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"I feel bad, leaving them there. They're just hungry." It takes Cody a second to even remember what the general is referring to, and then he's just perplexed.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"You feel bad for those...beasts?"</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Gutkurrs are carnivorous, that's for sure, but not normally quite that ferocious. When I manipulated their minds, I could feel their anguish. Those droids had been starving them for some time. They're animals, they can't control themselves. When they're hungry, they eat." Cody understands, and it suddenly strikes him how hard war must be for someone as empathetic as General Kenobi. He knows that all <em>jetiise</em> have unique mental abilities, but none of the other Jedi that Cody's met are as intensely compassionate as his own general. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Do you...feel stuff like that all the time?" He isn't entirely sure what he's asking—he only knows in a hypothetical sense how Force-sensitivity works, but he wants the general to know that he can confide in Cody without being too nosy about it. Fortunately, he seems to understand Cody's intentions.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Not really. Well, kind of," General Kenobi turns to make his way to the nearest gunship, and Cody follows. "I can't—or rather, I could, but I choose not to—read the minds of others, most of the time. However, particularly strong emotions, like fear and hatred, can be picked up whether I want to notice them or not. Non-sentient creatures, like the gutkurrs, feel things quite viscerally, and their minds are not censored by consciousness in the way that the minds of sentient beings are, and it is very easy to empathize with and manipulate them," he pauses, stroking his soft-looking reddish brown beard thoughtfully. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"That said, like most Force-sensitives, I do feel the presence of other's minds almost all the time—their aura, if you will, unless I am actively willing away my awareness of them. For example, each clone has a unique aura that I can sense around them."</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Like how Ventress seems sickly and sharp, but General Skywalker feels...kind of like a thermal detonator about to go off?" General Kenobi stops dead in his tracks and fixes Cody with a piercing look.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Yes, exactly like that," he pauses, and looks like he's about to say something else before a trooper calls to them, and they're forced to refocus on leading the departure from the planet. The distraction doesn't stop Cody from wondering what it was the general was about to say. He seemed truly shocked by what he'd said, but Cody couldn't imagine why that would be. After a while, he dismisses his speculations, writing it up to post-battle confusion. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">-----</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">Days go by, and Obi-Wan can't stop thinking about Cody's words as they were leaving Ryloth. He can't come up with any kind of explanation that doesn't boil down to Cody, somehow, being attuned enough to the Force that he is capable of sensing the auras of others. He's sure he never mentioned the Force signatures of Asajj Ventress or his former apprentice before, though Cody had perfectly summed up how they felt to Obi-Wan. He has no idea what to do with this information. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">Obi-Wan resolves to watch his commander closer from now on. He needs to keep an eye out for further evidence of Force-sensitivity—he doesn't want to stir up any confusion until he knows for sure. His commander has always had a strong presence in Obi-Wan's mind, but he'd always thought that was simply him projecting his own affinity for the man. Especially since he'd started training Cody, Obi-Wan found himself thinking about him rather a lot. He enjoys his commander's company; his warm, grounded Force signature like a nearby sun makes him feel safe and at ease, both rare feelings in the midst of war. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">Perhaps it was a fluke. Ventress practically radiated an avalanche of malevolent energy, and anyone who's known Anakin for longer than five minutes knows he's unusually volatile for a Jedi Knight. For some reason, this theory doesn't sit right in Obi-Wan's mind. He files everything away in his mind for now—there's not much to be done about the mystery at the moment.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">In the meantime, lightsaber training continues on to the third form, Soresu. He's been looking forward to teaching his own favored techniques, though he'll have to reign in his "tendency to wax poetic" on the subject, in the words of Anakin. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Soresu is the ultimate defensive form. It is efficient, subtle, and the least aggressive combat option. The third form is ideal for deflecting blaster fire, as you've seen, and a master of the form is practically invulnerable to ranged weaponry."</p><p class="zw-paragraph">He shows Cody the opening stance, though the commander has seen him do it a hundred times before. Indeed, Cody's eyebrows go up minutely when he recognizes the pose, then a small smile graces his features.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Is that why it's your favorite, sir?"</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Partially. It is the the most true to the ideal nature of the Jedi—we are supposed to be peacekeepers, after all. It was actually not the form I initially chose to focus on. I mastered Ataru first, a far more aggressive and acrobatic technique, but I...well, let's just say I learned the hard way that defense is as important as offense, if not more so." Obi-Wan isn't sure if he's in the mood to talk about Qui-Gon's death. "In any case, I wouldn't be living up to my moniker if I didn't master Soresu—it is a negotiator's form."</p><p class="zw-paragraph">They work for a while on a series of sequences, Obi-Wan guiding his commander through the movements. He knows nearly everything there is to know about Soresu at this point in the Clone Wars—he does, after all, spend a rather ridiculous amount of time deflecting and evading blaster fire. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">Eventually, he produces a training remote. No better way to practice deflecting than to deflect some mini blaster bolts. The small floating orb is on a relatively slow setting, which Obi-Wan can speed up if he needs to—he suspects he will. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"You're not gonna blindfold me, are you?" Cody's looking suspiciously at the droid, recalling their first lesson.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Not unless you want me to," Obi-Wan quips. He thinks, or maybe imagines, that his commander's cheeks darken slightly at his words. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"I think it's probably more fair if you're the one blindfolded." Well, that's new. Cody looks as surprised as Obi-Wan that the commander flirted right back at him, but Obi-Wan, never one to be outdone, recovers quickly.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"I do believe that would defeat the purpose, my dear." Now the commander is <em>definitely</em> blushing, and Obi-Wan has mercy on him, though it's tempting to continue. There's something immensely charming about Cody's flustered state, and the way he acts when he seems to forget their ranks for a moment. It makes Obi-Wan want to...</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  <em>Hm. Moving on.</em>
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">Obi-Wan concentrates on setting up the droid. The one catch is that this exercise won't work with a wooden training saber, so Obi-Wan unhooks his own lightsaber and hands it wordlessly to Cody, who looks astonished.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Are you...sure? Sir?"</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Of course. You've held it before."</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Yeah, but only to give it back to you, sir. I've never turned it on."</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Just don't touch the glowing end, and you'll be fine." A huff of laughter escapes Cody, and Obi-Wan smiles. The commander takes it slowly, as though the lightsaber might fly away from him if he startles it. He turns it on and moves it around experimentally. Then he adjusts his grip and falls into the ready position.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Okay." Obi-Wan's smile widens and he activates the droid.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">Cody misses the first two shots, but shows no signs of being bothered by the sting of the bolts.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Relax. Allow yourself to react intuitively." Cody nods shortly. He blocks the next shot, and the next, and the one after that too. Obi-Wan turns the speed up gradually. He misses a few here and there, which would be a big deal on the battlefield, but considering he has barely been training for a month, he's doing well. The longer the exercise goes on, the fewer he misses. </p><p>It's nothing close to the chaos and volume of an actual battle, but it's enough to make Obi-Wan wonder if he's onto something in terms of Cody's sensitivity to the Force.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Mando'a:</p><p>Ner'vod - my brother<br/>Su'cuy - hello, hey (informal)<br/>Shi haryc - just tired<br/>Dini'la - insane</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Ataru</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which there is a healthy dose of clone trooper gossip and revenge on commando droids.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="zw-paragraph">
  <em>Cody is standing once again in the huge stone atrium, with its high ceilings and many doors. The columns that stand in rows all around him are each several feet in diameter, and from behind one of them a man steps out. He has long, light brown hair that's tied back and deep blue eyes. His beard is graying, but he doesn't look that old. His Jedi robes are a crisp cream color that glows ethereally in the bright room.</em>
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  <em>"Do you know where you are?" The man asks, smiling slightly at Cody, who can't seem to find his voice. The place seems a little familiar, but Cody can't remember...</em>
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  <em>"Do you know what you are?" The man strides towards him slowly. "You have an important role to play. For the Republic and for my Padawan. But first you both must survive, and to do that you need something from here."</em>
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  <em>"I don't know you," Cody says, finding his voice. "Who are you?"</em>
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph"><em>"You need only ask." </em>But he just did!</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  <em>"I am pleased to have met you, Cody." There is a great crunch of breaking stone, and Cody turns around to see the columns behind him shattering, as if blown by an unseen force. When he turns around and begins to run, the Jedi is gone. He doesn't know how to get out, and the building is collapsing around him...</em>
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">Cody jolts awake, sweating. He's been having variations on this dream for weeks now. Always that same location, though the unfamiliar<em> jetii </em>isn't always there. Cody's never had dreams like that before. Mostly they're inane, anachronistic randomness jumbled up, like most dreams; this one is coherent, repetitive, and jarringly vivid. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">It's much too early for breakfast, but Cody is unable to fall asleep, so he gets dressed and heads to the bridge to make himself useful. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">-----</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">Their mission to one of Separatist-controlled Yavin's many moons is ill conceived to begin with, and what was supposed to be an easy opportunity to gain intelligence quickly becomes a fight to stay alive long enough to be rescued. General Kenobi, Cody, and the Ghost Company are cornered in a rocky mountain valley, and the clankers, led by several commando droids, are closing in—they've been completely outflanked. A harried comm from a pilot says the 501st's gunships are only a few minutes out, with reinforcements, but Cody isn't sure they'll make it that long. His general's lightsaber is moving so fast that it looks as though he himself is surrounded by a glow of azure light, blocking blaster bolts and cutting down droids three, four at a time, periodically reaching out and using the Force to bring rocks from the sides of the valley around them crashing down on the droid forces. But there's just <em>so many</em>. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"We just need to hold out a little longer! <em>K'oyacyi! </em>Our evac is on the way!" Cody calls encouragement to his <em>vode</em>, though he's fully aware it's easier said than done. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Yes, sir!" Several troopers reply in unison, clearly doing their best to sound optimistic. Cody can see little gray dots on the horizon, which could be their gunships, but they're too far away for him to be sure.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">And then, the unimaginable happens. Cody glances toward General Kenobi's position, and in the turmoil, the general fails to block a rifle shot from a commando droid behind him. Cody watches in horror as his general falls forward, a dark wound on his shoulder—damn him for not putting on his armor, not that it would have helped much at that range. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">Cody sprints to him, dodging blaster fire automatically. He shoots the clankers closest to where General Kenobi lies, but misses the commando droid, which takes a shot that hits his blaster dead on. He tosses the now-useless weapon away and, without thinking, just decks the droid before it can take another shot. His hand stings from the impact, but Cody barely registers it—the damn thing reeled backwards when he hit it, but is recovering, and Cody doesn't have a weapon. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  <em>Oh, wait.</em>
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">Before he has time to second guess himself, he seizes the fallen lightsaber of his<em> jetii</em>, activates the blade, and plunges it into the head of the stunned droid, which sparks and crumples to the ground. The standard droids are still encroaching, but Cody can <em>feel</em> that his general is still alive, and the clankers are <em>not</em> finishing him off on Cody's watch. Fortunately, droids are much worse at defending themselves than his general, and the blade of the lightsaber slices through them like they're made of water. Despite the grim situation, Cody feels a strange sense of certainty—it's almost as though General Kenobi's saber is guiding him, pulling him, telling him when to strike and when to dodge. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"It's General Skywalker!" Cody hears Waxer's voice, as though from far away. He clears away the nearest droids, no match for the commander on the warpath, and gently lifts the unconscious general over his shoulder as reinforcements from the descending gunships swarm the droid force. Cody can feel the slight rise and fall of the man's chest, and it soothes his racing mind. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Codes, <em>k'olar!</em> over here!" It's Rex, waving at him from a gunship. General Skywalker and Commander Tano are nearby, clearing the area around it. He makes his way there, trying to move quickly but not wanting to jostle the general too much. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Commander Cody! What happened? Is Obi-Wan alright?" General Skywalker calls to him, looking alarmed. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"He's alive, sir, but he needs urgent medical attention!" Cody's voice sounds strange to him, and he realizes just how worried about his general he actually is. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"We'll treat him on the <em>Resolute</em>—get in!" Cody boards the gunship, and Rex and the other troopers help him set the general down on a stretcher. He still has a death grip on General Kenobi's lightsaber, and he can feel his fingers going numb, but he wouldn't let go if his life depended on it. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"You're hurt, <em>vod</em>," Rex is leaning his helmeted head towards him, examining his brother's arm. He's hurt? He can't feel anything. Cody looks down and sees that his white-and-gold armor is dashed with blood, but it's just impossible to care at that moment. All the way to the medical bay of the <em>Resolute</em>, the only thing Cody can do is stand by his general's side and hope he'll be alright.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">-----</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Did you see that? I've never even heard of a trooper using a laser sword, and the commander was kriffin' <em>wasting</em> those clankers!" On another transport, an awe-struck Boil recounts their narrow escape. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Did you see him <em>punch a commando droid in the face, completely unarmed?</em>" Waxer contributes, equally astonished. Wooley shakes his head, and the reinforcements from the 501st look on, perplexed. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"And here we all thought they were just fucking when they disappear off together," Waxer continues. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"<em>Wait</em>, your commander is...is screwing your High Jedi General?" One of the troopers of the 501st butts in. Everyone in the transport is looking at Waxer now. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"I mean, we don't know for <em>sure</em>, but we do know that they disappear off for hours at a time together, and I don't buy all that 'extra training' nonsense the commander claims. Surely there's, y'know, somethin' else going on there." </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Kriff, I wish that were me," another trooper comments, and a murmur of agreement circulates. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"I hope the general's alright, though," Wooley says. "For all his unusual heroics, Cody looked like he might space himself if the <em>jetii</em> didn't make it."</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Kix will fix him up, I'm sure."</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">-----</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">That night finds Cody, along with General Skywalker, sitting on either side of General Kenobi's cot in the medical bay of the <em>Resolute</em>.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Y'know, sirs, it would really be easier if one or both of you...went somewhere else." Kix is bustling around them, tending to the general, who is stable but still unconscious. When no one says anything, he sighs. "Commander, if you're gonna stick around, at least let me look at your arm."</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"It's fine, I can't even feel it."</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"<em>That's not a good sign, sir!</em>" Cody says nothing.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Thank you for saving him." General Skywalker speaks up abruptly, fixing Cody with his steely blue eyes. "You did well, Commander."</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"I...thank you, sir. I'm just glad he's okay." Cody's mouth feels dry, and he's a little lightheaded, which is probably why he can't stop himself from continuing. "I care about him too, sir. I don't know what I would do without him." The moment he says it, he realizes he probably should have kept that particular feeling to himself, but mercifully General Skywalker either doesn't catch on to the implications of what Cody said, or is so relieved that his former Master isn't dead that he just doesn't care. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">They sit in silence for a long while, and eventually the other general gets up and leaves to attend to his duties. Cody thinks vaguely that he has things he has to do as well, but the concept of leaving General Kenobi sends another wave of anxiety over him. Instead, he studies the man's pale face, and fights the temptation to touch the sleeping man's hair. Eventually, he allows Kix to treat a large gash on his upper arm, the pain of which starts to creep up on him as the adrenaline fades. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">A few minutes (or maybe several hours?) later, Rex stops in to check on them. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"So...you can use a <em>jetii'kad</em> now?" Cody sighs, and figures he should probably get used to explaining that. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"He's been teaching me for quite a while now," he nods his head at the general, and his fist tightens again on the hilt of the lightsaber in his hand. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"What's it like?" For some reason, the question catches Cody off-guard, and he looks up at Rex, who's considering him curiously. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"I dunno. Different, I guess. He's told me all kinds of stuff, about the Force, about, y'know, different techniques and stuff." He pauses, thinking. "It's...really fun, actually." Rex nods, then smiles in a way that Cody finds a little suspicious. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"I didn't know they taught outsiders."</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"I don't think they do," Cody admits. "But when has anyone been able to stop General Kenobi from doing whatever he wants?" Rex snorts. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Fair enough." They sit for a moment longer, then his brother nudges him. "Hey, let's get some food. No offense, but you look like you might keel over at any second." Cody really doesn't want to leave the medbay, but he is hungry. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Alright."</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">-----</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  <em>Obi-Wan is standing in the courtyard of the Jedi Temple. There are younglings playing some sort of strange hopping game in the grass, and the cool breeze makes the trees rustle and robes flutter. The war seems so far away. </em>
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  <em>"Padawan." He turns quickly, and sees his former Master, Qui-Gon Jinn, smiling down at him from the top of the steps leading up to the door to the inside of the temple. </em>
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  <em>"Master?" </em>
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  <em>"Come to Coruscant."</em>
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  <em>"Why? Is there something I must do?" Force dreams were rarely without meaning, and for once the Force was giving him direct instructions, rather than just some sort of strange code he had to decipher.</em>
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  <em>"Not you." Ah, well, so much for that. The wind picks up dramatically, and Obi-Wan holds up his arm to protect his face from falling debris. When he lowers his arm, his Master is gone.</em>
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">When Obi-Wan wakes up, Rex and Anakin are sitting by his bed, chatting idly. His head aches and his shoulder stings slightly, but other than that, he feels fine. He tries to get up, but he sees spots, and three pairs of hands all push him back down into the cot. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Woah, there, where do you think you're going?" Anakin looks tired, but pleased that he's awake. They release him once he settles back down, and Kix types something out on a datapad.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Where's Cody?" Rex grins mysteriously, then looks away. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Rex made him take a break, he was glued to you for hours. Not surprised, after what happened."</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"What <em>did </em>happen?" Obi-Wan remembers their company being overrun by droids, and holding them off, and then nothing. Well, nothing except his dead Master conveying vague directions to him through his dream. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Well, you were shot. And then Commander Cody briefly became a Jedi, if what the men say is true," Kix provides. "I just messaged him, I'm sure he's on the way." <em>Fascinating.</em> He'll have to ask Cody about that.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">-----</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">Cody's on the bridge of the <em>Resolute</em> when he gets a message from Kix.</p><p class="zw-paragraph"><em>Hey, vod, your general's awake. He didn't summon you or anything, I just figured you'd want to know.</em> </p><p class="zw-paragraph">Cody drops the datapads he was examining and heads immediately towards the medical bay, so quickly that he gets a few questioning looks from the other troopers. He almost walks right into Admiral Yularen.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Sorry, sorry, sir," Cody says, careening around him. He slows when he gets close to the medical bay, not wanting to look like he'd half-run all the way here. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"—Just messaged him, I'm sure he's on the way." He hears Kix's voice just before he enters, and then he sees General Kenobi sitting upright, looking tired but healthy. <em>Thank the Force</em>. He takes off his helmet and stows it under his arm, striding towards his <em>jetii</em>. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Hello there," he says, smiling sweetly at Cody, and suddenly he finds his body acting without instruction from his brain—he bends down, reaches behind General Kenobi's head, and very gently knocks their foreheads together in a <em>kov'nyn</em>. Even through his gloves, he can tell the other man's hair is soft, and the point where their foreheads meet tingles pleasantly. Cody feels a feather-light touch on the back of his neck. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">And that's when his brain catches up. Not only are there three other people in the room, including another superior officer, but he's just performed a somewhat intimate gesture by Mandalorian standards on his own Jedi General. He pulls back sharply, blushing furiously, looking anywhere but at General Kenobi. <em>Kriff.</em></p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Um. Sorry to interrupt." Cody needs to leave, as soon as possible. What's a valid reason to be here? "I, uh, held onto your lightsaber, sir." He detaches it from his belt and places it on the table beside the bed. He nods to the room at large, then turns on his heel and leaves the medbay again.  </p><p class="zw-paragraph">He gets about halfway down the hall before Rex catches up to him. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"What was that all about?" Rex asks, slowing to keep pace with Cody. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"What was all <em>what</em> about?" Cody grumbles, and Rex shoots him a disbelieving look. He supposes he deserved that. "I should ask for a transfer. Or, better yet, but myself in an escape pod and float away." Now Rex just looks mildly confused. They arrive at Rex's quarters, though Cody hadn't realized that's where they were going. He sinks into a chair and puts his head in his hands, suddenly exhausted again.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"I'm sure General Skywalker won't say anything, and Kix just<em> knows</em> all the gossip, he doesn't usually—oh, wait, are you and the general not actually...together?"</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"No, of course not! He's a Jedi! And also my commanding officer! Let alone the fact that he's definitely not interested!" </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"That's not what I saw, <em>vod</em>."</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"I...what do you mean by that?" It's Cody's turn to be confused—he looks up from the ground to stare at Rex, who's grinning now.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"I don't think he would have reached up for you if he was offended, or look like a kicked loth-wolf pup when you left." <em>Oh.</em></p><p class="zw-paragraph">"I'm sure he was just caught off guard," Cody says, though Rex's words made his chest tighten. Rex <em>had</em> to be mistaken...right?</p><p class="zw-paragraph">Cody changes the subject, and the two brothers spend the remaining hours until their rendezvous with the <em>Negotiator</em> catching up on less emotionally taxing matters, though Cody's thoughts continue to stray back to his general.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">-----</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">Meanwhile, once Anakin and Obi-Wan are alone in the medical bay, Anakin turns to glare at his former Master. Obi-Wan's unfocused gaze is still locked on the blast door Cody departed through. Anakin clears his throat.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Do you have...something you want to tell me, Obi-Wan?" No response. Perhaps he requires more specific questioning.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"You've been teaching him lightsaber forms?" His former Master looks down at the hands in his lap, expression soft. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"He knows every other martial art in the galaxy, what's one more?" Anakin would know one of Obi-Wan's famous evasions anywhere, but he's not quite ready to drop the subject yet. Though, if he really doesn't want to talk about it, it's unlikely Anakin will be able to coax anything out of him.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Commander Cody likes you a lot, clearly. I'd be careful. Something tells me the council might have some...thoughts about this whole thing." Anakin knows from experience. </p><p>"I'm sure they would."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Mando'a:</p><p>K'oyacyi: hang in there; literally, "stay alive"<br/>K'olar: come here<br/>Kov'nyn: Keldabe kiss, or Mandalorian kiss; otherwise known as a headbutt.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Shien</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which Cody doesn't put on a shirt, but does learn a life skill.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Short chapter today, sorry guys! Although, I should be able to post the next one tomorrow. I don't know if anyone is paying attention to the chapter titles (I love chapter titles) but I'm splitting the fifth form (Shien/Djem So) and the seventh form (Juyo/Vaapad) up into two chapters even though they're technically grouped together, so that's how this is a nine chapter fic even though there's only seven forms. I just thought it looked better that way. Anyway!</p><p>Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who has left kudos and comments! A heart for you all: &lt;3.</p><p>Enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="zw-paragraph">Conveniently for Obi-Wan, the <em>Negotiator</em> is called to Coruscant the very next day. They'd been deposited back at their own star destroyer rather hastily, as Anakin and the 501st had been assigned to deal with some other outer rim skirmish, though Kix had made him swear up and down that he wouldn't strain his shoulder for another couple days. Of course, whether or not Obi-Wan ends up straining his shoulder is entirely up to the will of the Force.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">He hasn't seen Cody at all apart from their routine duties, which is quite atypical. Obi-Wan can only assume that Cody regrets the brief Keldabe kiss, or at least is sufficiently embarrassed that he's avoiding Obi-Wan. The thought makes his heart ache a little—he'd hoped, after all this time, Cody might be beyond shame when it came to their friendship, especially since the <em>kov'nyn</em> had confirmed Obi-Wan's suspicion that he also wanted a <em>real</em> kiss from his commander. That was a whole other can of brain worms, really.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">Alas, it seems that Cody still saw him as, first and foremost, a commanding officer. Perhaps it's better this way. The last thing Obi-Wan wants to do is put Cody at risk, and expressing his feelings for the other man would most certainly do that. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">Still, it doesn't stop Obi-Wan from missing him.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">-----</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">It's early in the morning and they've been en route to Coruscant for a few hours when the door to Cody's quarters beeps, indicating a visitor. Figuring it's one of his brothers, he doesn't bother to put on his shirt, which turns out to be a big mistake in terms of Cody's sanity. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">He presses the button to open the door and finds himself face to face with General Kenobi, whose (beautiful, shining—<em>STOP IT</em>) eyes widen slightly when he sees Cody. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Hello there." Cody's brain is screaming at him to put on a shirt, but it's really too late and at this point it's probably best if he just tries to act natural. Easier said than done.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Can I help you? Uh, sir?" His general's cheeks are just a tiny bit pink. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Ah, yes. Um. I was wondering...well, I'm not supposed to use my shoulder, but I wanted to see if you might be interested in a less active aspect of lightsaber training." Cody stares. <em>What could that</em> possibly <em>mean?</em></p><p class="zw-paragraph">"You're actually following a doctor's orders for once? We should make it a holiday." The general laughs, and the sound is warm and bright in Cody's mind. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Thought I might give it a try?" Cody feels himself smile. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Anyway, sure. Wait here one second. Let me just..." He gestures vaguely at himself and back into his quarters. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Of course." Cody closes the door and has to stop himself from collapsing onto the floor, because he's pretty sure General Kenobi would hear it. How does he keep managing to humiliate himself in front of the other man?</p><p class="zw-paragraph">Once he's properly dressed, he leaves his quarters to find his general leaning against the opposite wall of the hallway, looking peaceful. There's a gaggle of shinies walking by, who slow down to stare at the general way longer than his appropriate before greeting him with a disorganized chorus of "hello, General" and a few awkward salutes. Cody rolls his eyes. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Go on, boys," Cody says gruffly, causing them to pick up their pace down the hall once more. The general doesn't usually come this far into the trooper's areas, and this is probably going to come back to bite him later in the form of outrageous rumors. At least no one walked by while he wasn't wearing a shirt.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">Their small talk on the way to the training rooms goes a long way to setting Cody's mind at ease. General Kenobi doesn't seem uncomfortable at all, or is at least doing a very good job of acting normally. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">When they reach Training Room 10, the general walks to the middle of the room and sits cross-legged on the floor, and looks expectantly at Cody, who sits down across from him, just barely close enough that if they both reached their arms out they would be able to touch. He does his best to mimic his general's perfect posture. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Close your eyes." Cody closes his eyes. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Take a deep breath." Cody takes a deep breath. <em>Is this meditating?</em></p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Reach out with your awareness. Feel your weight on the ground, take note of your body—sensations, pains, points of contact." This is a little less straightforward, but Cody does his best. The floor of the training room is soft, quite comfortable to sit on. His ankle aches slightly from a semi-recent sprain. His shoulders are stiff, tense—a by-product of having thousands, if not millions of lives depending on his success or failure at any given time. He can feel that he's scrunching his brow slightly. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Good. Now, try to clear your mind. Don't force it, just...allow yourself to <em>be</em>, and when thoughts float into your mind, acknowledge them and dismiss them. If you find you must focus on something, focus on your breath." Cody has a much harder time with this. His mind is <em>always</em> racing, at least a little, and it's nearly impossible to keep the stream of worries at bay. He is suddenly able to hear and feel far too much—the sound of the recycled air vents overhead, the distant echo of his troopers' voices, something electronic pinging steadily, his own pulse. Cody takes another deep breath, trying to steady himself. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">He concentrates on his own breathing for a minute, and then realizes he can also hear General Kenobi's breathing. It doesn't occur to Cody to wonder how he can hear someone's quiet breathing from a few feet away—instead, he syncs up their inhales and exhales, and quite abruptly it becomes easy to calm his mind. A peaceful glow fills his consciousness, like distant starlight. The physical sensations around him melt away, sounds fade out, until Cody is left only with their concurrent breathing and a ghost of an emotion, warm and bubbling—<em>affection,</em> if Cody has to give it a name, though it's hard to tell who the feeling is coming from or what it's directed towards.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">They sit in this way for a long time, until a loud crash from outside pulls Cody back into himself. He feels better than he has in a while, as though a headache he didn't realize he had finally dissipated. He opens his eyes, very slowly. General Kenobi's eyes remain closed, his face relaxed, copper hair shining in the artificial light. <em>Kriff, he's pretty.</em></p><p class="zw-paragraph">As though aware of Cody's attention (which, maybe he is), the general's eyes open and he smiles at Cody. He wonders if his general practices heart-melting smiles in the mirror, or if he's just always been able to produce them at will. Cody's sure it comes in handy as a diplomat. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"How was that?"</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Strange, sir," Cody says sincerely. "But nice."</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"You, ah," Kenobi shifts, gaze lowering to the floor between them, almost shyly. "You're always welcome to join me, if you like. I meditate every day, sometimes more than once. It is necessary for a Jedi, but I am fond of the practice also."</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"I'd like that, sir." </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Obi-Wan." </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Sir?" His general looks back up and meets his gaze, expression soft. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Call me Obi-Wan." Cody blinks. The thought of calling a High Jedi General by his first name goes against every aspect of his programming. The general clearly senses his hesitation. "Please?" Well, that settles it. As if he could ever say 'no' to him about anything. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Alright," his general is looking at him expectantly. "Obi-Wan." He's rewarded with a little grin that makes the gen...Obi-Wan's eyes crinkle at the corners. Cody doesn't think he's ever said the other man's name out loud, not even in conjunction with his last name. He likes the way it sounds in his voice, crisp and clear like a bell. He wants to say it again, but that would be weird. </p><p>They leave shortly after, both heading to the bridge. There is much to do before they drop out of hyperspace, and Coruscant awaits them on the other side.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Special thanks to my yoga teacher from when I was little for the guided meditation dialogue, never would have guessed that was gonna come in handy.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Djem So</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which Quinlan Vos makes an unscheduled appearance, Obi-Wan makes a rather damp friend, and Cody steals something.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello hello! This is not, strictly speaking, "tomorrow" BUT I have something extra to go with this chapter. In the interest of avoiding spoilers, the description and the link are in the end notes. Please excuse any unusual errors in this chapter, I did the formatting for this on way less sleep than I'm used to. Oops.</p><p>Enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="zw-paragraph">The mood aboard the <em>Negotiator</em> is lighthearted as they approach Coruscant. It's been many months since they've been to the vibrant urban world, and Cody knows his <em>vode</em> are itching to use their time planet-side to their advantage by consuming copious amounts of strangely pigmented beverages at 79's Cantina, socializing with their friends stationed aboard other ships, and taking in the bright, fast-moving life of the Republic's cultural and physical center. It seems ridiculous that such a complex and diverse place could be the safest place in the galaxy, but in many ways, it is—if it weren't for the comings and goings of star destroyers and the tangible stress in the Senate Building and Jedi Temple, one might be able to forget that they are in the midst of a long, bloody conflict.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">Unlike his troopers, Cody is unable to set aside his anxieties as he and his general disembark a shuttle near the Jedi Temple. Obi-Wan starts towards the temple's side entrance, his brown cloak billowing behind him slightly in the breeze. Cody follows him automatically. He's technically on leave at this point, but Rex isn't here and Cody doesn't feel like hitting the cantina. The only thing that seems to appeal to him is to continuing to shadow his <em>jetii.</em></p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Obi-Wan?" Saying the general's first name still makes Cody's heart flip-flop in his chest. He hopes, for the sake of his own mental state, that effect wears off after a while.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Yes, my dear?" Cody's glad he's still wearing his helmet, for the moment, as it hides his blush. Trust Obi-Wan to always be ready to one-up him in terms of verbal familiarity.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"I, uh—is it alright if I join you?"</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"I have a council meeting." <em>Oh right.</em> Cody suddenly feels foolish. Of course, the Jedi Master would have other things to attend to, and people other than his clone commander to speak with. "But you are welcome to accompany me there, if you'd like. If you don't have plans, I could show you around the temple later—I don't know that you've ever seen it properly. If you're interested." Cody hasn't—whenever the commander is in the Jedi Temple, there is some sort of crisis at hand (or there is about to be one).</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"I'd like that," Cody replies. "If you don't mind. Don't want to keep you from your people." Obi-Wan casts an unreadable look at him. They've just passed into the temple, and Cody removes his helmet, trying to look less out of place than he feels.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"You are my people, Cody. In any case, I never pass up an opportunity to show off the library." Cody grins. If nothing else, his general is consistent.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">They walk down the long, wide halls of the temple. It's dead silent, despite the noise of the city outside. An unusual feeling sneaks up on Cody, as though something he'd been trying to remember was floating up to the surface of his mind, just out of reach. The feeling only intensifies as the pair make their way deeper into the temple, past the war rooms where he spends most of his time when he's here.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">Eventually, they come to the turbolift that will take the Jedi Master to the top of the southeast tower, where the High Council Chamber is located. General Windu is there, talking to some unfamiliar Knights. He greets Obi-Wan formally as they approach, and nods shortly at Cody, who salutes.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"See you soon?" Obi-Wan says, walking backwards towards the lift for a moment to smile at Cody.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Yes, sir," Cody replies, proud of himself for remembering to say 'sir' in front of the other <em>jetii</em> despite having only called his general 'Obi-Wan' for over a day.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">He stands to the side of the hall for several minutes, still trying to shake the impression that there's something he needs to be<em> doing</em>. There are no messages waiting for his attention (for once), his battalion is off partying (presumably), his general is in his meeting (unfortunately). It's a pull, a gentle tug on his mind. Cody becomes aware that he's started walking. He keeps going, turning down a passageway that he's never seen before. Shouldn't he go back? He doesn't know where he's going, though his legs certainly seem to.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">The passage ends, and Cody emerges into a huge, bright atrium. He looks around. <em>He's been here before.</em> The columns supporting the sky-high ceilings are wide and cast dark shadows on the glossy tile floor, and the walls are lined with arches and sandy-brown statues of ancient<em> jetiise.</em> The last time he was here, he was dreaming. Someone else had been here too...</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Heeey, don't you belong to Kenobi? You lost, Commander?" Cody is jerked abruptly out of his trance by a familiar voice behind him. Turning, he sees the Jedi Master Quinlan Vos leaning against one of the columns, munching idly on a meiloorun.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">Cody thinks he should take offense to the Jedi saying he "belongs" to his general, but frankly he can't find it in his heart to disagree. He has met the unorthodox Master on a few occasions, all of which stick out in his mind as some of the most bizarre<em> jetii</em>-related incidents he's ever been a part of—which is saying something, considering who the Jedi he usually goes on missions with are. Obi-Wan, while always respectful of his peers, generally seems discomforted at the very least by Vos' cavalier attitude towards, well, everything—and Cody doesn't blame him.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"No, sir, I'm not lost."</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Cut that out, I'm Quin." He lifts himself off the column, dark dreadlocks swinging. "Don't think you're supposed to be wanderin' around here on your own. I'll come with ya."</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"I don't think that's necessary."</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"You won't even know I'm here, promise." Vos' dark eyes twinkle mysteriously, and he stuffs his hands—along with half of the meiloorun—in the pockets of his robes. If Cody weren't now sure that there was somewhere he needed to be (Force knows where), he'd have turned right back around towards the High Council Chamber, but the closer he gets to his destination the more urgent the pull on his mind becomes, so he continues on his way.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">The contents of his dreams are coming back to him before now, and Cody realizes he knows the order of the statues, and the shape of the stone doors he's looking for. Just as they had in his dream, the doors slide away slowly as he approaches. He looks back at Vos, who's watching him placidly, one hand on his hip. Cody steps inside, and instead of finding a side room he'd expected, he finds a stairwell leading down. Their footsteps echo strangely, and the stone walls become increasingly ragged. This place feels old, old enough that it seems to look back into Cody, neither benevolent nor sinister. Whatever force—maybe it is the Force itself, though Cody can't see how that's possible—is guiding him down here is yet more insistent now. He thinks he can hear the faint whispers in his mind, indiscernible words in ancient tongues that grow louder yet no less comprehensible.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">The stairs end in a room so dark that Cody has to briefly close his eyes before he's able to see anything. When he opens them, he sees that the room is free of furniture apart from a low wooden table. The walls, however, are lined from floor to ceiling with every kind of melee weapon imaginable, some that even Cody doesn't recognize. He sees pikes, staffs, vibroswords, knives, and axes. However, most of the items displayed are the hilts of<em> jetii'kad</em>, dusty and diverse—they are long, short, curved, straight, even dual-bladed. Some look like they have vents on the side, like a crossguard. Fascinated, Cody walks down the walls, taking in the strange weaponry. They are beautiful, ornamental in a way that a blaster is not. Cody thinks of it as the difference between watching a normal soldier fight and watching Obi-Wan—both may be effective, but only his general can make combat look like a dance.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">Once more, his feet carry him to the far left wall, and he stops.</p><p class="zw-paragraph"><em>Pick me up. I belong to you now.</em> Cody doesn't need to wonder which one is calling to him. He hesitates, then removes his right glove and closes his hand around the cool, slightly grubby metal of his lightsaber.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">Instantly, his mind is flooded with snippets of scenes, clearly from the life of another. They flicker by faster than Cody can process, though he would recognize the pandemonium of battle anywhere. This particular saber was made during wartime by an ancient Knight—a protector. Someone bound by duty as much by necessity as they were by their own volition. Someone loyal, someone who found honor in the service of a greater cause. Someone just like Cody. He sees flashes of the blade in action in his mind, so he's not surprised when he activates it and the room fills with amber light. It's almost the same color as the markings on his armor.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"You know how to use that?" Cody startles. He'd completely forgotten the other man was there. He's sitting on the table in the middle of the room with his chin in his hand, still smiling.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Yes." The Jedi's eyes widen in surprise.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"...No?" Cody tries again. Maybe he wasn't supposed to readily admit that. He reluctantly turns off the blade and the room is plunged into darkness once more.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"I'm not a snitch. Take it, I won't tell."</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Thanks."</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Kenobi is one lucky son of a bantha." Cody has no idea what to say to that, so he says nothing, and the two head back the way they came.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">-----</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">When the council meeting concludes, Obi-Wan makes his way towards the turbolift, but is held back by Master Yoda.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Something on your mind, there is." The little green Jedi Master's eyes are boring into Obi-Wan's. He's still perched in his chair. Plo Koon also lingers after the others file out, watching curiously.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"It is of no consequence to the council, Master." It is nearly impossible to lie to Master Yoda. Hopefully, the old Master will decide Obi-Wan's preoccupation is not important.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Perhaps not. But of great importance to you, it is." Obi-Wan sighs, trying to decide which aspects of the last several months are least incriminating. Somehow, he doesn't think 'I am emotionally compromised by my adorable Clone Marshal Commander, and we are about to go on a sort-of date' will go over very well. Instead, he picks the other side of this whole situation.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"I have reason to believe," Obi-Wan begins slowly, choosing his words very carefully, "that one of the troopers under my command is Force-sensitive." Master Yoda's large ears perk up slightly.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Correct, you are. He is the one you brought here?" Oh. Well, that was easy.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"How is that possible?" Plo looks even more intrigued now.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"There is nothing which governs which beings are guided by the Force. There is a possibility, your commander may be one of many. Told him, you have not." It isn't a question—in fact, there is almost a reprimand in Master Yoda's tone.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"No, Master. I wanted to be certain. I have taught him to meditate, though, and he is progressing well in saber training. We have just begun studying the fifth form."</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Hm. Normally, he would be taken in, but perhaps in this case, it would not be fitting. An unusual situation, this is. Monitor it, you must." Master Yoda stands, and begins moving slowly towards the lift. "In the meantime. Take care, young Obi-Wan—immune to your attachments, you are not." And with that, he is gone, leaving Obi-Wan and Plo staring after him. There had been a lingering dread in his mind that if he told the council about his suspicions, his commander would be taken away from him, as per their traditions  Master Yoda, at least, seemed happy to leave things as they are for now, and for that Obi-Wan is grateful.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"I don't mean to presume," Plo says, turning towards Obi-Wan, "but you would not be the first, even among the Jedi, to develop...an attachment to a clone." When Obi-Wan says nothing, he adds, "these are uncertain times. Love is hardly the worst enemy of the Order at present." A short, humorless laugh escapes Obi-Wan. He has a point.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Nevertheless. I must honor my commitment." Though, honestly, Obi-Wan cares less and less about the sentiment every day. Who knows when, or if, this war will end—and when it does, who will be left? Obi-Wan takes great pride in his life as a Jedi Master. He does his duty, he constantly strives to do better, to be a better Jedi. How terrible would it be, really, if one rule was just...plucked away from the sea of things Obi-Wan has to worry about?</p><p class="zw-paragraph">He and Plo Koon take the lift down together in thoughtful silence. When they reach the base of the tower, Obi-Wan sees Cody standing right where he left him. There's someone with him, with whom he seems to be talking quietly. Quinlan Vos.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">Cody looks past Vos and smiles at Obi-Wan.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Cody. Are you alright?" Obi-Wan has no idea what compelled the other Jedi to come harass his commander, but he's sure it's nothing good. Cody nods—he doesn't seem too disturbed by whatever Vos is up to.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Hey, Kenobi. How's it goin'?" Obi-Wan's eyes narrow.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"What are you doing?"</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Relax, man. I'm just telling your lovely commander all your dirty secrets."</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Vos, you don't know any of my secrets."</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"That's all you know," he quips, and starts down the hall away from them. He lifts his hand in a lazy wave, not looking back. "See you around, Kenobi. Nice getting to know you, Commander Cody." Obi-Wan watches him go, then turns to Cody, who looks amused.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"He didn't say anything bad about you, if that's what you're worried about."</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"I wasn't. But, good." Despite Cody's assurances, Obi-Wan can't help but wonder what they were up to. There's something slightly different about his commander that he can't put his finger on.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"He did tell me that when you were a youngling, you used to sneak into the library after curfew and the archivists would always find you asleep under the reading tables in the morning." Obi-Wan grins at the memory. There was a time when he spent more time sleeping on the floor of the Temple Archives than he did in his dormitory.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"They always knew where to look when their holobooks went missing for weeks on end, that's true." Cody's looking at Obi-Wan in a way that makes his cheeks feel warm, and he hopes it isn't noticeable.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"I bet you were a troublemaker, like General Skywalker."</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"I can neither confirm nor deny that," Obi-Wan replies, and Cody snickers. "Shall we?"</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">-----</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">Despite the fact that most areas of the Jedi Temple are off limits to non-Jedi, no one pays them much mind as they spend hours making their way through the many areas of the vast building. Obi-Wan recalls as much as he can about the temple's long, complex history, which turns out to be quite a lot. He worries that he's boring the commander, though every time he looks over at Cody, he seems as interested as he is when Obi-Wan is explaining lightsaber forms, which makes his heart clench—he almost never meets someone who's willing to listen to him ramble for this long, and in this much detail. Anakin's eyes would always gloss over within minutes, and his other Masters knew the histories back to front already. His friend is quiet, thoughtful, but completely engaged, occasionally asking questions or speculating with him about the lives of their predecessors.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">They spend an especially long time in the network of rooftop meditation gardens, the trees and other exotic plants casting long shadows across the grounds in the evening light. Obi-Wan shows Cody how to lure the brightly colored fish in the pond out from behind their rocks with little leaves from a water plant they like to eat. The fish gradually flock to Obi-Wan—he's always had a way with animals. A particularly large orange one leaps inelegantly out of the clear blue water towards his hand, and when it falls back into the pond a spray of water fans out, soaking the sleeve of his robe and some of his tunic. Cody laughs, a warm, rich sound that fills Obi-Wan's mind and lingers there.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"I think that one likes you," Cody comments, still grinning.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Well, I'm always happy to make new friends," Obi-Wan jokes. "However, I don't think the temple caretakers will take kindly to me dripping through their immaculate floors. I will head to my quarters," before he can talk himself out of it, he continues. "It's rather late—you are welcome to stay with me tonight, if you like." Cody's eyes widen slightly.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Is that allowed?"</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"I wasn't going to ask for permission." Cody agrees, and the pair stand. On their way out, they pass through some particularly overgrown foliage and Obi-Wan feels their hands brush against each other and he has to clasp his hands behind his back to stop himself from twining their fingers together.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">-----</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">That is how Cody finds himself, a few hours later, standing in Obi-Wan's sparsely decorated apartment in a borrowed tunic, sipping on herbal tea while his general responds to some messages on a datapad. The quarters are small, but well equipped with a kitchen, small sitting room, and two small bedrooms.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">There are hardly any personal effects in the living room, just some shelved books and a couple holoimages. One is of him and a baby-faced General Skywalker on some very green planet—Naboo, if Cody had to guess—and the other shows a much younger, beardless Obi-Wan standing next to a kind-faced, long-haired man Cody recognizes—not from his life, but from his dreams.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Obi-Wan?"</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Hm?"</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Who's this?" Obi-Wan looks up to see where Cody is pointing, and a pained look crosses his face.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"He was my Master. His name was Qui-Gon Jinn—he died just before I became a Knight, many years ago now."</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"I'm sorry," Cody says solemnly. It must be a painful memory, for his Master's death to have never come up in their many training-related conversations before. And, if what he's seen of <em>jetii</em> apprenticeship is anything to go by, Qui-Gon Jinn must have been like a father to Obi-Wan. He wonders if he should tell him about his dream. The man's deceased teacher had come to Cody to tell him that—what, exactly? That he needed to keep the two of them safe? That he needed this lightsaber? The brief conversation is hazy in his memory.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"I've seen him before," Cody finds himself saying. Obi-Wan is standing now, staring at him, brow furrowed. He hopes what he's about to say doesn't sound silly. "I...saw him in a dream. He told me—well, he told me I needed this." He detaches the old lightsaber from the belt under his tunic, and holds it out for Obi-Wan to see. In the well-lit room, Cody can see the saber much better. Under the dust, the hilt is simple in design—straight and sturdy, with a grip of wrapped black leather and an octagonal pommel. The switch section is ribbed vertically, alternating between black and silver, and the blade emitter is circular but angled, sort of like General Skywalker's.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Fascinating..." Obi-Wan looks to Cody for permission before taking the blade from him, examining it closely. He finds himself hypnotized by the slender fingers thoughtfully caressing the saber, and then has to look away to hide the flush creeping up to his face.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"It's a beautiful weapon. It has chosen you, it will serve you well." He hands it back to Cody, and Cody takes it, not bothering to avoid touching the other man's hand once again as he does so. "I can show you how to clean it up, if you like. Looks as though it's been tucked away for a long time."</p><p>Cody nods. It definitely needs some care, but he's sure some of the polishes he uses on his guns would bring the hilt back to its former glory.  He rubs at a spot of grime with his thumb absent-mindedly. He has many more questions for Obi-Wan—Cody is sure that what he felt before was the Force, but wouldn't that be impossible? He's a clone. Surely clones couldn't be Force-sensitive—and anyway, wouldn't he have known by now if he was? The possibilities make his head spin. Perhaps the questions can wait until they've both had a good nights' sleep, for once without the endless hum of the air recyclers and machinery of the <em>Negotiator</em> in the background.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I made an illustration of what I picture to be Cody's lightsaber! It's on my tumblr, here:<br/>https://romanmoray.tumblr.com/post/621686421542060032/pick-me-up-i-belong-to-you-now-cody-doesnt</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Niman</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which Cody gets called out by Maul, of all people, and Obi-Wan is a tease.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>As of today, I officially have all the rest of the chapters drafted! Yay! I think I'm going to do some more illustrations for this fic, if work doesn't get in the way—my little drawing with the last chapter is the most liked/reblogged thing I've ever put on tumblr in my, oh, six or seven years of being on the site, and it made me so happy that people were entertained by it. Making Star Wars content has given me way more immediate gratification than I'm used to with creative stuff, haha. But I digress. I'll probably post the last two chapters in the next couple days or so, I just have to read through them and make sure I didn't leave any of my weird little notes in there. Thank you guys SO MUCH for all your support!</p><p>Enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="zw-paragraph">"Sir—er, Obi-Wan—I really don't think this is a good idea!"</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"You'll be fine, my dear. If you fall, I can catch you!" Obi-Wan reassures Cody. They're at a waterfall, about a mile from where they've made camp with the rest of the Ghost Company. Cody's standing at the top, on a craggy rock jutting out, looking down at the tumultuous, frothy cascade of water falling below him. They can barely hear each other over the roar of the water.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"It's not that I don't trust you, I just know this isn't going to work!"</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Not with that attitude, it isn't!" Cody huffs. Obi-Wan can't hear it from where he's standing at the base of the waterfall, but he can sense it as if his commander is right next to him—the little movement of resignation in his shoulders, the slight drop of his head. Obi-Wan <em>knows</em> Cody is capable—they've been working up to something like this for months.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">Ever since he'd told Cody that he was Force-sensitive—news which hadn't seemed to shock his commander as much as it could have, though it was hard to tell with the stoic man—Obi-Wan had been trying to gauge Cody's abilities, which seemed to grow stronger with practice. When they'd first started, Cody had struggled with telekinetic abilities and agility, though interestingly his Sense abilities were incredibly well-developed for someone with no prior training. Obi-Wan chalked it up to Cody's training on Kamino—he would have been able to exercise abilities like Battle Precognition and Force Sight, and it would have just looked and felt like he just had exceptional instincts, which was also true. He's taken well to meditation as well; Cody joins Obi-Wan to meditate more often than not now, and Obi-Wan would be lying if he said the warm, solid presence of Cody's mind brushing against his didn't thrill him endlessly.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">Recently, however, the commander's progress had spiked tremendously—where it had once taken him a few moments of concentration to summon his lightsaber to himself, Cody could now lift several boulders at a time, which had already come in handy when a cave had collapsed in on a few scouts a few weeks ago and Obi-Wan had been occupied elsewhere. Obi-Wan is positive that Cody is capable of Force Jumping his way down the waterfall, but they were still working through the old enemy of self-doubt.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Have faith that the Force guide you. Or, alternatively, you can pretend there's a pack of angry rathtars behind you."</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Is there such thing as a happy rathtar?"</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Not that I've seen," Obi-Wan replies, humoring Cody's blatant stalling. "Remind me to tell you about the time one got loose in the financial district on Coruscant. Come on now, Cody." And with that, Cody leaps, springing from rock to rock down the cliff face through the mist. He lands a little heavily on the last jump to Obi-Wan's position, and he steadies him gently. Cody's armor is cool and slick with spray from the waterfall, and Obi-Wan wishes the other man wasn't wearing his helmet so he could see the expression on Cody's face.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"I think I get why you<em> jetii</em> don't like wearing armor," he says finally. "<em>Not</em> that I approve. In the slightest." Obi-Wan grins. His hand is still on Cody's upper arm, but he makes no move to step away.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"It is quite difficult to be nimble in armor."</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"I'm sure you're always nimble." Cody stiffens, as though he hadn't intended the innuendo. "Uh. Sir." He tacks on, and Obi-Wan can't help but laugh, which seems to set Cody at ease again. Impulsively, he leans forward and up slightly, bumping his forehead just slightly against Cody's helmet-covered brow, the ghost of a <em>kov'nyn</em>. The orange visor gets in the way, but Obi-Wan's pretty sure the point gets across, because Cody is completely still—even holding his breath. He releases Cody and turns immediately back towards camp as though nothing had happened.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Come along, Commander. We don't want to miss out on our delicious rations."</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">-----</p><p class="zw-paragraph"> </p><p class="zw-paragraph">In terms of lightsaber training, there's no uncertainty in Cody when they spar together. Obi-Wan has trained a formidable opponent, he thinks—though his commander's saber usage on the battlefield remains mostly limited to deflecting blaster fire away from his brothers. Now that Cody has his own lightsaber, they've mostly done away with the wooden training sabers. There's really no substitute for the lightness of the real thing, or the connection between body and weapon. The power on both blades is turned down substantially, of course. Oh, the wonders of kyber.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">They've studied all the forms by now—even Juyo, though Obi-Wan's experience with the most advanced and chaotic form is quite limited. Perhaps, one day, he can convince Master Windu to impart some wisdom regarding the seventh form to his commander, as its most notable practitioner. Though formidable, Obi-Wan has always found both Juyo and closely associated Vaapad too graceless and far too close to dark side techniques than he'd like.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">Cody, for his part, took to Djem So quite well—as Obi-Wan had thought, the form plays well to Cody's strengths as a soldier with considerable physical strength. The fifth form had always been one of Obi-Wan's foils, if he's perfectly honest—brute force has never been something he could counter easily, though he's certainly getting much more practice now. To his delight, however, his commander favors Obi-Wan's own Soresu as well. It <em>is</em> a useful form, in his totally unbiased opinion. The sixth form, though practical as a combination of all the previous ones, remained somewhat neglected due to Cody's lightsaber training being far more advanced than his training in other Force abilities, though that would likely be rectified soon enough.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Try following up a slash with a Force push," Obi-Wan suggests, as he parries a powerful, sweeping blow from Cody's amber blade with his own blue one, the weapons clashing together in a flash of white light. "It's a helpful move if you need to make a quick escape." Obi-Wan can feel the other man's focus in the Force, the searching, calculating energy appraising his moves. The push is well-timed, but Obi-Wan is, of course, expecting it and neatly flips away with the impact. What he <em>isn't</em> expecting is for Cody to pull him back almost immediately into another blow which Obi-Wan only narrowly manages to deflect.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Nicely done," Obi-Wan praises, trying to ignore the twist of arousal at being Force-handled by his commander. The smallest of smiles flickers across Cody's face. One of these days, Cody's going to best him in a match, and it will be a strange day indeed for Obi-Wan.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">On the way back to their quarters on the Negotiator late in the evening, Obi-Wan is glancing at Cody's hip <em>for no reason whatsoever</em> when he notices something different about the commander's lightsaber attached to his belt.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Did you...modify your lightsaber?" He asks, prompting Cody to look down, appearing somewhat embarrassed.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Oh, yeah," Cody says slowly, detaching it to show Obi-Wan. "Is that bad? It's just paint, I can take it off if that's...sacrilegious, or something."</p><p class="zw-paragraph">On the emitter section of the saber, Cody has carefully painted an arc of orange rectangles, just like the ones on the front of his armor. They're like little rays of a sun, and it's so Cody that Obi-Wan feels himself smile. He's reminded of the Mandalorian traditions regarding the decoration of armor, the bold pigments and delicately stenciled clan crests, and the little detail seems very fitting.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"No, not at all—unusual, perhaps, but I think it's excellent." Cody grins and takes the saber hilt back.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">-----</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">The first lightsaber-wielding foe Cody faces isn't a Separatist. Cody has heard Maul's name intoned gravely by his general, accompanied by an intense expression of concern and a thoughtful rub of his beard. Cody knew what Maul meant to his general—he was the man, the <em>dar'jetii</em>, who'd taken his Master from him, the man who he'd killed only to have him return years later, filled with nothing but a desire for power and vengeance. When Cody saw the message from Raydonia, wherein Maul had baited Obi-Wan out with the slaughter of civilians, he knew immediately that this was no standard villain—Maul was<em> unhinged,</em> crazed with a lust for blood. <em>Specifically</em> Obi-Wan's blood. Cody would give anything to never have to see his <em>jetii</em> look so alarmed again, and for months after Cody found himself looking over both their shoulders, as though Maul might materialize on the bridge of the <em>Negotiator.</em></p><p class="zw-paragraph">As it happens, Obi-Wan isn't with him when the mission Cody's running with Rex and some<em> vode</em> from the 501st brings them across Maul's path. As one of the highest-ranking clones in the GAR, Cody's been leading missions alone far more often recently, and though he misses his general's merciless flirting, he's glad that just this once, Cody is able to fight one of Obi-Wan's battles for him.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">Cody's been on edge since they arrived on the desolate moon. He realizes why when he sees the scarlet dual-bladed lightsaber ignite from the other side of the abandoned Separatist outpost their supposed to be searching for intel, right before it plunges into the chest of the nearest unfortunate trooper. Cody's own lightsaber is at the ready a split second later.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"<em>K'olar!</em> Fall back! Rex, call for pickup—I can buy you time." Cody moves forward as the men move back, positioning himself between his brothers and the <em>dar'jetii</em>, who is prowling slowly towards them, almost lazily.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"I'm not leaving you with this lunatic!"</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Please, Rex—we've got a better chance if you get help now. That's an order!" He does<em> technically</em> outrank Rex, though a fat lot of good it does him when it comes to getting his <em>vod</em> to do what he wants him to do. He's definitely learning obstinance from General Skywalker. Miraculously, this time, Rex listens.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"A clone with a lightsaber," Maul's drawl is slow and silky as he draws nearer, and his yellow eyes glint in the light as though illuminated from behind. "How...interesting." He doesn't really sound that interested.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">Cody stands ready, waiting for Maul to make the first move. He can't beat the <em>dar'jetii</em>, he knows that much from what Obi-Wan had told him about his old enemy—he just needs to <em>stay alive</em>. When the flash of crimson speeds, inhumanly fast, through the air towards him in a smooth arc, he parries it with his own amber blade automatically. After a minute of trading blows, it becomes clear that Maul is toying with him, but Cody doesn't allow himself to be baited. He finds himself using Obi-Wan's defensive Soresu tactics to avoid the sheer volume of blows dealt by the dual blades of Maul's saber. It's comforting, in a way, as though using his general's methods meant Obi-Wan was actually here with him in some way.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">When he leaps back and falls into a Soresu ready stance, Maul's eyes narrow minutely. Then he chuckles—it's quite possibly the most unnerving sound Cody's ever heard, low and humorless, almost a growl. He paces around Cody, preparing to strike.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"I see someone's been training with <em>Kenobi,</em>" Maul spits, as though the name is the most profane curse in the galaxy. Cody's fist tightens on the hilt of his lightsaber. "I would recognize the style of a <em>coward</em> anywhere...I imagine he will be quite upset when I kill his pet clone, do you not think so?" It takes all Cody's willpower not to charge at Maul, but he knows that's what the other man wants.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">Maul is about to pounce again when quite suddenly, the crumbling outpost is filled with the sound of blasterfire, concentrated on Cody's opponent. Rex is back—with reinforcements. Cody musters his strength and Force-shoves Maul away and pull down some of the roof above him. Clearly the <em>dar'jetii</em> isn't expecting a<em> clone</em> to use the Force, even one with a lightsaber. It gives Cody just enough time to rejoin his brothers and make a hasty exit out and onto the waiting gunships.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">-----</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">If Cody thought his general seemed stressed about Maul before, it was nothing compared to the agitation radiating off Obi-Wan in waves when Cody arrives back aboard the <em>Negotatior</em> the next day. He's waiting for them in the hanger when their ship lands, arms crossed. When he sees Cody, he darts toward him.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Sorry for the delay, sir, we—" Cody stops short because Obi-Wan has placed his hands firmly on Cody's shoulders and his wide blue eyes are fixing him with a strangely mournful look.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Cody, are you alright?"</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Yes, s—Obi-Wan," he amends, figuring this is already pretty far gone from being a professional interaction. He automatically reaches up to Obi-Wan's armored forearm, holding it in place.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"The transmission Rex sent to us a few hours ago was garbled, I knew you ran into Maul but not much else. I'm so sorry." <em>Oh.</em></p><p class="zw-paragraph">"You have nothing to be sorry for. No way you could have known, and even if you did, we still would have had to go."</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"But I would have come <em>with</em> you, my dear commander."</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"I'm good too, General Kenobi!" Rex calls helpfully from somewhere behind Cody.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Glad to hear it!" Obi-Wan replies, not looking away from Cody, who shakes his head slightly. He still looks incredibly concerned.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"I'm okay, seriously. You should have more faith in your teaching—you trained me well." Finally, a small but genuine smile graces Obi-Wan's face. He looks over at General Skywalker, who's shooting his former Master a withering look. <em>How long has he been standing there?</em></p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Did you hear that, Anakin? I'm a <em>good</em> teacher." The other Jedi rolls his eyes so high that Cody thinks he might strain something.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Sure, Master."</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">-----</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">Days pass, and the war rages on. Cody continues to spend most of his minimal free time either meditating or training with Obi-Wan, and he's pretty sure those are the only things keeping him sane at this point. The pressure shows in the perpetually worried expression of his<em> jetii,</em> who only seems to relax when they're alone, and the new little dashes of gray in his coppery hair that occupy Cody's thoughts when they're sparring, or when the general is briefing them before a mission. He hates the reason they've appeared, but Cody has to admit that the effect is...quite pleasing.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">In related developments, Cody is losing his mind.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">His general has always flirted with him, at least a little—he flirts with <em>everyone.</em> Friends, enemies, even inanimate objects. But in the last couple months, Obi-Wan has become way more tactile than is warranted even by the amount of time they spend together. The more Cody pays attention, the more he realizes that while his general is absolutely a compulsive flirt, the little touches, absent-minded brushes, and the lack of personal space seems to be unique to Cody. Obi-Wan doesn't even touch <em>Skywalker</em> that much. Despite the evidence, Cody can't let himself draw conclusions—his logical mind supplies a constant stream of grounding facts. <em>His general has a code. He outranks Cody. They're in the middle of a war. Cody is a clone.</em></p><p class="zw-paragraph">But these things are so hard to remember when Obi-Wan touches his hand to get his attention and brushes their shoulders together when they're walking side by side and pulls him to safety on the battlefield and brushes dirt off his armor with his gloved palm. With every little gesture, Cody becomes more sure that they are, at some point, going to have to talk about this, and it may not be a pleasant conversation. Cody <em>wants</em> him, more than he even knows how to articulate, desires more than Obi-Wan could possibly be willing to give him. He <em>loves</em> Obi-Wan, and he wishes that was all that mattered.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">They've been sparring for hours as the<em> Negotiator</em> speeds through hyperspace to their next engagement when Cody trips himself up, and after Obi-Wan helps him to his feet, the general doesn't let go of his hand. They just stand there for a moment, studying each other, Cody's heart racing, either from training or how painfully close to him Obi-Wan is. Without the barrier of armor between them, he feels vulnerable, but not necessarily in a bad way. He trusts Obi-Wan.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Um." Cody tries to say something, but it gets lost somewhere between his thoughts and the physical world. Misreading Cody's discomfort, Obi-Wan releases his hand quickly.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"I'm sorry. I don't mean to make you uncomfortable." Obi-Wan bows his head slightly. "You must know I...well, you know." Cody's not sure he <em>does</em> know, but his tolerance for the ambiguity between them is quickly draining, and if he hasn't been sent back to Kamino for reconditioning yet, it's unlikely one more severe breach of conduct is going to be the thing that does it. Most of what's at stake here is Cody's dignity, which was already in jeopardy anyway.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"No, I...I like it when you touch me," he winces slightly at his own phrasing, but it's worth it for the way Obi-Wan's face lights back up immediately, as if Cody flipped a switch.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"You do?" Obi-Wan's voice is soft, breathless, and his blue eyes are shining hypnotically. Cody doesn't trust himself to say anything. Obi-Wan slinks back into his space and all kinds of things are happening in Cody's head but not one of them is a coherent thought. Their faces are an inch apart, and the war is the last thing on Cody's mind when Obi-Wan's lips touch his, as gentle as a breeze, his beard tickling Cody's face. He's suddenly quite light-headed, and he places a hand on the front of Obi-Wan's tunic to steady himself. When he starts to lean away, Cody pulls him back in, tangling his fingers in Obi-Wan's silky hair and kissing him again, still chaste, still cautious. The places where Obi-Wan's hands rest lightly on his hips are hot and tingling. When their lips separate, Obi-Wan rests their foreheads together and he takes a deep breath. Cody could stay like this forever—and they do for a moment, their worries kept at bay by their mutual relief. Through the Force, Cody can feel his own contentment and desire mirrored in Obi-Wan. Eventually, it's Obi-Wan that breaks the peaceful silence.</p><p>"Do you want some tea?"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Juyo</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which Obi-Wan does not once stop to think about anything he's doing, and there's a switcheroo.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi! Just in the interest of timelines here, the first scene in this chapter refers to the events of S5E8, "Bound for Rescue," and then then Rex and Cody are talking immediately after the Fives arc at the beginning of Season 6. I'm sure that's pretty obvious from the story itself, the only reason I point it out is that it spans a huge time gap there and I don't want the last chapter too seem like it's coming out of nowhere. Also (spoiler alert), this is where this fic earns its T rating for "implied sexual content," so if you are uncomfortable with that (I'm a [closeted] ace so I totally understand) skip the second section and the first half of the third. I think that's all I have to report, sorry for the info dump!</p><p>Enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="zw-paragraph">Unfortunately, tea is interrupted when the <em>Negotiator</em> drops out of hyperspace much earlier than anticipated. The moment the general and the commander set foot on the bridge, a transmission comes in from a group of stranded younglings under Ahsoka's care who were attacked by pirates—Obi-Wan has to contain his exasperation when he learns the Ohnaka Gang is responsible, though he's not exactly surprised. Before he can dispatch assistance, however, a Separatist attack is launched. Caught off guard, it's all hands on deck just to minimize their already substantial losses.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">Obi-Wan looks on miserably from the viewport of the escape pod as the <em>Negotiator</em> is destroyed—hopefully with General Grievous still on board, though he doubts they'll be that lucky. His only consolation is the steadying presence of Cody next to him, also watching the ship that had been their home for the past two years combust spectacularly in front of them.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"If it's all the same to you, I wouldn't mind that cup of tea now," Cody deadpans, and as usual Obi-Wan doesn't need to see his friend's face to know what his expression looks like.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"You and me both, my dear."</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">-----</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">It's several rotations before the 212th is relocated onto a new star destroyer, and a few more before Obi-Wan and Cody have more than a split second alone together, though not for lack of trying. Despite the chaos, Obi-Wan can't get their kiss out of his head, and he doesn't want too much time to go by without discussing...whatever it is that's going on. Obi-Wan knows what <em>he</em> wants, but he has no idea if they're on the same page, let alone know how they're going to negotiate the vast number of reasons their relationship—if that's what it is, and Obi-Wan does hope so—is a <em>ridiculously bad idea.</em> Obi-Wan does have a knack for pulling off ridiculously bad ideas, though, and he has a feeling it might actually be <em>more</em> disruptive to their lives (and by extension, the war effort) if things continue to go unaddressed. Their many meetings and briefings are punctuated by lingering glances from across the holoprojector, and Obi-Wan has already missed several bits of important information speculating about what Cody's weathered fingers would feel like under his tunics.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">Late one evening, Obi-Wan finally decides that it's time to have that talk. He fiddles with his communicator for a bit, suddenly anxious, before opening a channel to his commander.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Cody, would you come by my quarters at your convenience?</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Right away, sir," Cody promptly replies.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">Cody arrives barely a minute later—he must have been quite close by already, given the size of the ship—with his helmet tucked under his arm. Obi-Wan's plans of talking dissolve the moment the door locks behind Cody and he registers the desire in his commander's dark eyes, and in a highly uncharacteristic display of involuntary Force-use, he shoves Cody against the closed door and kisses him senseless. Cody's helmet clatters noisily to the floor as he goes slightly limp, and for a horrifying moment Obi-Wan thinks he somehow managed to actually <em>knock him out,</em> but then strong arms wrap around him, pulling their bodies flush together, and all concerns promptly pushed out by a wave of lust. He bites down on Cody's soft lower lip, and Cody moans in a way that makes him feel hot all over.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">When he starts to feel dizzy from lack of oxygen, Obi-Wan pulls back just enough to see Cody's face, not letting him off the wall. His lips are swollen and his pupils are so blown that Obi-Wan can barely see his irises, and they're both breathing heavily. Obi-Wan doesn't think he's ever felt such an overwhelming <em>need</em> for anyone in his life.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Don't stop...<em>gedet'ye, ni copaanir gar,</em>" Cody's voice is rough, barely over a whisper, and it sends a shiver down Obi-Wan's spine. He's always loved hearing Cody's Mando'a, which comes out when his Basic fails him.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"<em>Elek, ner'al'verde.</em> I am yours." At his words, Cody buries his face in Obi-Wan's neck, pulling his collar aside. It's his turn to moan as Cody nibbles at the exposed skin. Obi-Wan starts fumbling at the rest of Cody's armor, abruptly unable to tolerate the layers of fabric and plastoid between them. When he's down to his blacks, Obi-Wan pulls him back into a mind-melting kiss—right before Cody lifts him up and carries across the room to the narrow bed.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">-----</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">It's many hours before any sort of conversation happens. Obi-Wan swears he intended to talk things out before they took things further, but Cody doesn't seem to be complaining. Obi-Wan is happily nestled into Cody's embrace, and he can feel Cody gently carding his fingers though Obi-Wan's hair. They'd both dozed off briefly after their...strenuous exercise, but woken up again well before the morning shift.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"I thought...that Jedi weren't supposed to do...stuff like this," Cody finally says, his voice cautious.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"We're not," Obi-Wan replies, just as quietly. He feels rather than sees Cody nod his head in acknowledgment.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Is this a one-time thing, then?" Cody asks, and Obi-Wan is surprised to hear a note of bitterness in his voice. He sits up, trying to gather his wits about him, which is quite difficult seeing as his very muscular, mostly naked commander is still partially pinned under him.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"I certainly hope not. Unless that's what you want—"</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"No, I...Obi-Wan,<em> ni kar'tayl gar darasuum.</em> For a while now." Obi-Wan's heart skips, and he leans down again to capture Cody's lips in a soft kiss.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"<em>Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum balyc,</em> Cody." His commander's smile is warm and bright, and Obi-Wan grins back. If only it were that simple.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"However, this situation is not ideal. I personally think the Order has enough on its plate that I'm not likely to get in much trouble in the immediate future, but the fact remains that I am your commanding officer and we are in the middle of a war. I cannot be seen to show favoritism, nor can I compromise the interests of the Republic, no matter what my feelings are. I am sure you feel the same." Cody nods solemnly. Obi-Wan thinks for a minute. He honestly isn't sure what the best course of action here is. Perhaps the <em>right</em> thing to do would be to say that they should wait till after the war, but the longer it drags on the less and less likely that seems like a time that will ever come. And, even if it does, there's nothing to say either of them will live to see it.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"I think...for now...let's just see how it goes? If that suits you. But we must agree to put the interests of the GAR first, no matter what it may mean for us." Clearly that was not at all what Cody was expecting the verdict to be, and his eyes light up once again.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"You have my word." Cody salutes, and though the intention behind it seems sincere, the effect of the salute is offset by the fact that his commander is in Obi-Wan's bed. "I would do anything to get to be with you, even if it's a secret, even if we can't do this," his hand lifts off the mattress to gesture between them. "Very often. As long as I am by your side, I'm happy, <em>cyare.</em>" He laces their fingers together and Obi-Wan gives his hand a squeeze.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Likewise, my dear." Obj-Wan checks the time, and seeing that it's still early yet, curls back into Cody’s arms. After a few minutes, they both drift back off to sleep again.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">-----</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">A few months later, Cody and Rex are on Coruscant when Rex tells him of a chilling incident that recently occurred within the ranks of the 501st. He'd heard bits and pieces of the story from Obi-Wan, who'd been present at the High Council meeting where the matter was discussed, but Rex's personal account painted a far more disturbing picture. He'd been close to the troopers involved, particularly Fives, and Cody could tell his friend was deeply upset by what had happened. He'd seemed so unhappy that Cody had even allowed his brother to drag him to 79's, which was as raucous and disorienting as ever, though perhaps the noise was a good thing considering they were sitting at the  bar discussing blatantly treasonous conspiracy theories. </p><p class="zw-paragraph">"I mean, what he was saying was <em>banthashit</em> crazy, don't get me wrong. I feel ridiculous even considering it, and I know General Skywalker didn't believe him at all. But..." he pauses, staring into his drink. "But <em>what if</em> there's a <em>possibility</em> that there's some truth to it? I trusted Fives with my life thousands of times, under any other circumstances I'd have believed anything he said to me. And he was so certain of it. It makes me want to go poking around in my own brain for this chip."</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"If it's there, it's probably there for a reason, <em>vod,</em>" Cody says soothingly, though he's unsettled as well. An organic chip, planted in them before they were even decanted, that makes clones want to kill Jedi... It's far-fetched, but mostly Cody just doesn't want to believe it.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"And also, just today General Skywalker told me that the Chancellor said it was a virus. But a virus that makes you kill<em> jetii</em> specifically? I'll be honest, Codes, that just doesn't sound right to me. I don't know if I can believe all of it, but I definitely don't think we know everything." Pain crosses Rex's face, and Cody puts his hand on his shoulder, trying to send his own calmness to his brother through the Force, just like Obi-Wan does for him after a particularly rough battle. Now that he's more attuned, he can sense Rex's Force signature more distinctly—he is a cool, deep river of flowing thought, enduring and adaptable, though currently the water is disturbed by his agitation. Rex breathes a sad sigh. "He died in my arms, Cody. After all that we've been through together, all the crazy stunts we've pulled, he was shot down by a brother. For a conspiracy theory."</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"I'm sorry,<em> vod.</em> He was a good man." Rex nods, seeming far away. "<em>Ni su'cuyi, gar kyr'adyc, ni partayli, gar darasuum,</em> Fives. His name will join the others in our remembrances." Rex repeats the phrase quietly, his voice cracking a little when he says his friend's name. They sit in thoughtful silence for several long moment, then Rex looks up at him and his face splits into a wide grins</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"So, when's the wedding?"</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Shut up."</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"'He's my commanding officer,' you said. 'He's definitely not interested,' you said." Rex mocks him gleefully, and Cody feels his face heating up.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"...Shut up." Rex cackles. Cody can't help but smile along with him.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">-----</p><p class="zw-paragraph"> </p><p class="zw-paragraph">Cody and Obi-Wan manage, miraculously, to conceal the change in their relationship from most of the 212th for quite a while. But then Obi-Wan is injured (again) during a mission and the medic, Aid, has to remove his tunic to treat him, revealing a constellation of reddish bite marks on the general's neck and shoulders among his freckles. Aid pauses in his application of bacta to give Cody, who's hovering anxiously over the injured general, a long look. Cody stares right back, challenging him to say something about it, but the medic just shakes his head and continues working. Once Aid knows, he tells Chrys, who tells Reed, who tells Trapper...and thus, the news spreads. However, Cody receives a lot less grief than he was expecting, which is explained when Boil informs him that most of the 212th was under the impression that their commander and their general had been together for well over two years now.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">Despite everything, Cody finds that he is actually <em>happy.</em> He doesn't have to pretend around his general any more, and it feels like a weight has been lifted from his shoulders that he hadn't known he'd been living with, and their day-to-day lives are not even altered that much. There are, as Obi-Wan had predicted, too many other things going on for anyone to pay them much mind. Really, the biggest changes are that Cody doesn't make much use of his personal quarters and their sparring sessions are more likely to end with their lightsabers abandoned in favor of making out on the floor of the training room.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">It is this particular habit that turns out to have some unforeseen consequences.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">Cody blames General Skywalker's poor timing more than anything else. Their ship is in orbit not far from where the 501st is laying siege to a Separatist controlled planet, on the off chance they need backup. They're...occupied when Obi-Wan receives a distressed comm from his former Padawan, and their haste to respond, somehow their lightsabers get swapped. The worst part is that Cody <em>notices,</em> but is unable to surreptitiously fix their mistake in the rush to assist General Skywalker on the surface of the planet. He and Obi-Wan leap out of the gunship with the rest of the reinforcements at the front line, where Skywalker is furiously deflecting blaster bolts, trying not to lose any more ground to the droids.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Sir—Obi-Wan, one second—" Cody tries, catching up, but it's much too late. He can sense Obi-Wan's bemusement as he activates his saber and the amber colored blade extends, and Cody would have put his face in his hands if he weren't doing his best to keep himself and the rest of the troopers alive.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Nice of you to join—<em>what the kriff, Master?</em>" General Skywalker takes one look at his former Master and the lightsaber that is the opposite of the color it should be and his eyebrows shoot up. To his credit, Obi-Wan carries on as though nothing is out of the ordinary, and eventually they manage to push the droids back. Obi-Wan meanders sheepishly back to Cody, and they swap lightsaber hilts under Skywalker's glare.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Sorry," Cody murmurs, but Obi-Wan just grins devilishly.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"My mistake, <em>cyare</em>."</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"You are <em>never</em> allowed to lecture me about lightsaber responsibility ever again,<em> Master.</em>" Anakin says Obi-Wan's title slowly and deliberately, and Cody feels a twinge of guilt. Obi-Wan looks back at the other general, schooling his face into wide-eyed innocence as he stares him down. "Or attachments, for that matter."</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"At least I had <em>a</em> lightsaber, Anakin," Obi-Wan quips, and Skywalker heaves an exaggerated sigh.</p><p>"Yeah, <em>this time.</em>" Obi-Wan just grins wider, which only seems to aggravate the other Jedi even more.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Mando'a:</p><p>Gedet'ye - please<br/>Ni copaanir gar - "I want you."<br/>Elek - yes<br/>Ner'al'verde - my commander<br/>Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum - "I love you."<br/>Balyc - too, also<br/>Ni su'cuyi, gar kyr'adyc, ni partayli, gar darasuum - "I'm still alive, but you are dead. I remember you, so you are eternal." Followed by the names of the deceased, this is a remembrance for those who have passed away, repeated daily.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Vaapad</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which Obi-Wan bullies medical droids and Cody...well, he's fine.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I can see from the comments that most people can see where this is going, lol. Don't worry, though, I'm allergic to sad endings. Thank you guys so much for your support, I really enjoyed writing this and I'm glad people enjoyed reading it! </p><p>And, finally, the last chapter. </p><p>-Roman</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="zw-paragraph">Commander Cody is trying hard not to get his hopes up, but something seems to be shifting in the tide of the war. It starts with the abduction of the Chancellor, which ends with Count Dooku's defeat and a more decisive victory for the Republic than they've had in ages. General Grievous' flagship,<em> Invisible Hand</em>, is wrecked on the surface of Coruscant, and even though the cyborg general escapes, morale is high as the GAR slowly but surely begins to gain ground. For the first time, Cody sees that this war could, perhaps, end at some point.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">But something isn't right. There are shadows, just barely outside his awareness.  He and Obi-Wan both feel it, though they're unable to pinpoint the source of their unease. Even as progress is made, Cody watches his general, <em>his lover,</em> become more tense with every passing day. He knows Obi-Wan is worried for his former Padawan, whose growing mistrust in the Jedi Council is making him recalcitrant and unpredictable, more so than usual. All Cody can do is be there for him, hold him when their schedules permit, and hope that they're all just on edge from three years of constant, bloody warfare. Cody is grateful for the kisses they sneak in supply closets, their hushed exchanges and furtive looks, reminding him that no matter what happens, they have each other, and Cody isn't going to let anything change that.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">At long last, Obi-Wan leaves a High Council meeting with news that General Grevious has been located on Utapau, and that he has been ordered to track him down. As they talk through the plan on the bridge of the star destroyer, Cody stands close enough to allow their hands to touch periodically under the guise of examining a projection of Grevious' location. It's a dangerous confrontation, and they won't have much support. When they drop out of hyperspace, Cody uses the Force to transmit a little of what he feels about this mission to Obi-Wan, who looks at him warmly.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"I'll be alright, my dear commander. This will all be over soon." And, with no regard for the bridge full of troopers, Obi-Wan plants a little kiss near the induction filter on his helmet. Cody blushes, though he wishes Obi-Wan could have kissed his skin rather than his plastoid shell. With that, his general strides off the bridge to the hangar. He wishes he could be with Obi-Wan for the initial engagement, but their plan depends on an element of surprise—the 212th will follow their general to the surface of Utapau shortly.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">-----</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">He is, needless to say, a little miffed when one of his <em>vode</em> comes to him with his general's lightsaber a few moments after General Grievous' death is confirmed, indicating that the <em>di'kut</em> faced down one of their most formidable adversaries <em>without his</em> <em>lightsaber. </em></p><p class="zw-paragraph">"It fell out of the sky, sir!" <em>Oh, for kriff's sake</em>. Cody thanks the trooper and sighs, clipping the saber next to his own. The things Cody puts up with.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">Obi-Wan should be on his way to them. The battle is moving in favor of the 212th, and Cody's doing his part, blasting droids with his pistol and using the Force to push them off the threatening cliff several yards away. When Obi-Wan arrives, he's riding on a humongous shrieking green lizard.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Cody! Contact your troops. Tell them to move to the higher levels!" Obi-Wan calls down to him, his hair artfully disheveled.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Very good,<em> sir,</em>" Cody replies, the honorific coming out more petulant than he meant it to. "Oh, and you might be needing this." He holds out Obi-Wan's lightsaber, and the<em> jetii</em> has the gall to grin cheerily at him.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Thank you, <em>cyare.</em>" He reaches down to take the saber from Cody. "Now, let's get a move on. We've got a battle to win here!" And he's off again, leaving Cody shaking his head. His comm beeps and he takes it out.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  <em>"Commander Cody. The time has come. Execute Order 66."</em>
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Yes, my lord," he finds himself saying, though the words sound as though they are coming from very far away. And then the pain hits.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">He's dimly aware of a trooper giving an order to fire on someone in the distance, but the only thing Cody can process is the excruciating pain in his head and the onslaught of thoughts that don't belong to him. He falls to his knees as the searing sensation peaks, and the orders push their way into his consciousness.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  <em>The Jedi are traitors to the Republic. Kill the Jedi.</em>
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">But...that's not right. What was it Rex had told him, nearly in tears, that night at 79's? What had Tup had repeated deliriously, over and over, until his death?</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  <em>Kill the Jedi. Good soldiers follow orders. Kill the Jedi.</em>
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">How could the Jedi betray them? Cody had trusted their Jedi Generals. Even as his mind wages war on itself, he feels parts of himself slip away.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  <em>Good soldiers follow orders. Good soldiers follow orders. Kill the Jedi. The Jedi are traitors (to the Empire) to the Republic. Good soldiers follow orders. Good soldiers—</em>
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">If the Jedi were traitors, then why did Cody have a lightsaber on his belt? Cody isn't a traitor. If the Jedi were traitors, why could he feel hundreds of cries in his head, all at once? Somewhere, far away, a child is screaming. That's not a traitor.</p><p class="zw-paragraph"><em>Fight it, Cody.</em> A new voice joins the others. A cool, soothing voice from his dreams. Fight...he can do that. He's been trained to fight since he was made. What is he fighting?</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  <em>Kill the Jedi. Kill the Jedi. Kill the—</em>
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  <em>No. I will not.</em>
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">Cody blacks out, and doesn't wake up for days.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">-----</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">Obi-Wan feels the deaths of his fellow Jedi through the Force, and he knows long before he reaches Master Yoda and Bail Organa that the Order is gone. This knowledge, however, does not make it any easier to walk through the ruined Jedi Temple with Master Yoda, with its grand halls strewn with the bodies of Knights, Padawans, and even younglings. He suppresses waves of nausea when it dawns on him who is responsible for this massacre. With the help of Bail and Master Yoda, he records a message in a warning beacon, put in place to ward off unsuspecting surviving Jedi—Obi-Wan has to hope there are more—and goes with Padmé to Mustafar to confront his former Padawan. The man he finds there is unrecognizable, he has gone so far into the dark. The only thing worse than watching Anakin fall is defeating him, and Obi-Wan is unable to watch as his closest friend, his brother, is consumed by fire.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">When Padmé succumbs to her grief, Obi-Wan takes it upon himself to find places for their children, who will likely be in danger until the Republic is restored. Leia is hidden on Alderaan with Bail and Breha, and Obi-Wan takes Luke to Anakin's family on Tatooine.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">It's only then, after his duties as a Jedi and as Anakin's former Master are fulfilled, that he reaches out for Cody through the Force, afraid to see what he'll find. He sits in the cockpit of his starfighter, which rests lightly on the sands of the desert planet, and reaches with his awareness, down the fledgling bond that connects their minds. He hadn't saw fit to mention the bond, which developed almost entirely on its own, to Cody, though the man was adept enough by now that he may have sensed it anyway. If Cody, like all of the other clones, has turned to the Empire, Obi-Wan will have to sever their delicate connection. The thought makes his heart clench unpleasantly.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">Cody's mind is only barely present. At first, Obi-Wan thinks the distance between them is dulling his sensitivity, but then he realizes that the reason he can barely register his lover's presence in the Force is that Cody is unconscious. Not asleep, that would be much easier—but, in fact, nearly comatose.  He's not far, though—a medical frigate in open space, near Christophsis. Obi-Wan can work with that.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">-----</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">Sneaking aboard the medical frigate turns out to be the easy part, though he's exhausted from using the Force to convince people that he's not actually there by the time he finds Cody. He's alone in the ward, apart from an unsophisticated medical droid hovering around him, doing tests. Obi-Wan activates his lightsaber and holds it to the droid's neck, and puts a finger over his lips when the damn thing starts beeping in alarm.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"<em>Shh.</em> Or I'll run you through." Obi-Wan has no idea when anyone will come by, but he needs this droid's help or this rescue mission will be for nothing.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Bleep booooop. Beep bop boop!"</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"I know I'm not supposed to be here. Don't call anyone. You're going to do something for me."</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Beep! Boop bep?" Obi-Wan holds the blade of his lightsaber even closer as the droid moves to an emergency call button, and its spindly metal hands go up in surrender.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"That's right."</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Bloop. Beep bop."</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"There's something in his head. Like a tumor. I need you to take it out." Obi-Wan feels a pang of regret about the whole incident in the 501st all those weeks ago—if only the council had believed the account of that trooper who'd given his life to warn them about the chips implanted in the clones, so much pain could have been avoided. They had been foolish, complacent. The incident had worried Obi-Wan, but there'd been so much else going on...</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Bwop beep bop, beep boop." The droid gestures at a display screen with an analysis of Cody's condition on it. Obi-Wan wishes he were dealing with the 212th's medic. Aid may have had a bit of an attitude, but at least he was competent, like all the clones.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"There is, I'm telling you. Look closer." The indignant beeping continues as the droid scans and examines and re-scans Cody. Obi-Wan prays to the Force that, after everything he's lost in the past few wretched days, this <em>one kriffing thing</em> will work out. Minutes pass. And then there's a little pinging sound from the medical equipment, and Obi-Wan releases a breath. The computer has located the anomaly in Cody's brain.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Beep blep. Beop bop bleep bep."</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Just do it. Quickly!" The droid does as its told, and Obi-Wan has to look away as the extraction occurs. He listens for the steady beeping of the machine monitoring Cody's vitals, which seem to be holding for now.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Beep!"</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Thank you," Obi-Wan shuffles around the room, collecting medical supplies and Cody's armor, which is, surprisingly, accompanied by his lightsaber. Whoever picked him up must not have noticed it. He keeps one eye on the droid at all times, but it seems resigned to its role now and just floats there idly, its round eyes glowing.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Will he be okay?"</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Bwep blop beep."</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"You don't sound too sure," Obi-Wan says, but there's nothing left that can be done. He walks to Cody's cot and begins floating it out of the room, towards one of the docking bays. Almost immediately, he runs into a trooper, their shiny white armor glistening eerily in the bright lights of the hall. It hurts him to have to use his abilities on the troopers who'd served the Republic loyally for so long, but this was better than killing them.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"I'm moving this patient to another facility," Obi-Wan suggests before the trooper can say anything, waving his hand.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"You're moving this patient to another facility."</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"You have to go have lunch now."</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"I have to go have lunch now." The trooper turns and leaves. No alarm is raised until Obi-Wan is only a couple yards from the shuttle he's going to steal, since there's no way he's going to make it back to his own starfighter. He pushes the cot aboard first just as the troopers round the corner into the docking bay, blasters firing. Obi-Wan deflects them deftly, and backs his way into the shuttle. The moment the door is sealed, he dashes to the pilot's chair. The ship shudders with the impact of a blast, but Obi-Wan manages to get it in the air and out into space. He plots a course back to Tatooine and makes the jump into hyperspace just as the frigate's cannons come online.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">-----</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">When Cody wakes up, he's very warm. He reaches out with his senses before opening his eyes. He feels dry, hot air. He's lying on a scratchy blanket. His head aches and he has no idea what's going on. The last thing Cody remembers clearly is handing Obi-Wan his lightsaber on Utapau, and his general's mischievous smile...and then he remembers the pain and death and feeling his general fall from very high up but not being able to pull himself out of his own internal struggle enough to do anything about it.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">He sits bolt upright, which turns out to be a bad move. His head swims and throbs. Then, a familiar figure leans in, placing a soft hand on his chest.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"<em>Udesiir, cyare.</em> You're safe." Obi-Wan looks rough. There are circles under his worried eyes, and his hair is unkempt, dirty. He is, as always, most beautiful thing Cody's ever seen.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">"Oh, thank the Force." Ignoring Obi-Wan's request that he relax, Cody sits up again and fights through the discomfort to embrace his lover, who melts into him. They stay in each other's arms for a long time, in their new hiding spot on Tatooine, and for now, the war is over.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">-----</p><p class="zw-paragraph">
  
</p><p class="zw-paragraph">Luke Skywalker is a restless child.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen did their best to discourage their young nephew's incessant wanderings, but little Luke is persistent. He vanishes from the moisture farm at odd times, and return in the evening covered in dirt and bruises from scrambling around the rocky cliffs of Tatooine. He visits the small town of Anchorhead with his friends quite often—sometimes he makes it all the way to Mos Eisley, where he loves to listen to the stories of the travelers and observe all the fascinating aliens and droids that pass though the spaceport. One day, he promises himself, he'll leave this desert planet and see these magical places he hears about—the green plains of Naboo, the mountains of Alderaan, the forests of Endor, the bustling, many-layered city of Coruscant.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">The Jundland Wastes have their appeal, too—Luke knows the land better than he knows himself, and he likes to pretend he's an adventurer, and that his father once played in these very sand dunes when he was Luke's age.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">Luke's most favorite thing to do on Tatooine, though, is go visit Ben and Cody. They live across the Wastes from his family's moisture farm, a long journey, but not too bad if he can "borrow" a speeder from his aunt and uncle. He almost always gets in trouble—he senses that there's some mistrust between Uncle Owen and Ben Kenobi, though he isn't sure how he knows that. But the couple is always happy to see him when he visits, and the stories they tell him and the delicious snacks they provide make the trip well worth suffering his aunt and uncle's irritation.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">Ben and Cody knew Luke's father, before he was born. Ben and Cody have all the best books and parts for him to tinker with. Ben and Cody teach Luke little phrases in Mando'a, Cody's first language, which they speak to each other in hushed tones while they do housework together. Ben and Cody have been everywhere in the galaxy, it seems—Luke has to wonder why they live on Tatooine now, of all places. He wonders if it's the same reason that Ben seems sad and distant sometimes, though Cody never fails to cheer his partner up.</p><p class="zw-paragraph">If he's very lucky, he'll get to watch Ben and Cody spar using laser swords, which is better than any HoloTV program. Ben's blade is a bright, cool blue; Cody's is amber like the setting suns. They dance around each other for hours, their sabers connecting with crackling crashes faster than Luke can follow, and the flares of light are more impressive than any fireworks display. Despite the drama of it all, the light shows always end in laughter when one of them eventually trips the other up and they fall onto the soft sandy ground.</p><p>They promise Luke that one day, when he's old enough, they'll teach him to fight too.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>mando'a: </p><p>Udesiir - relax, take it easy<br/>Di'kut - idiot</p><p>P.S. In the happy fun world of my brain, Force sensitivity is not compatible with brainwashing chips. We love to see it!  If anybody wants to come say hi/has any questions, I'm on tumblr as romanmoray.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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